The Moorchild
by stmaryspeakstofaeries
Summary: In his pivitol fifth year, Sirius Black struggles with a distraction (in female form) that threatens his relationship with the Marauders.
1. The Start of Term

A/N this one's for all of you who know that Sirius lives....  
  
Disclaimer: Sirius Black and his posse, school and surrounding world belong entirely to the brilliant JKR.  
  
CHAPTER # 1  
  
Start of Term  
  
Surrounding by this fellow newly-ordained fifth years, Sirius Black entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with a feeling of great anticipation; this would be a great year. He was so overjoyed at finally leaving his terrible family to come back to school that he could hardly contain his enthusiasm. He looked around and scanned the crowd filing into the hall from behind him. He then spotted his three greatest friends emerging from a few feet away.  
In a husky voice, Sirius shouted, "Oi! Prongs, Moony, Wormtail, over here!" He grinned as James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Petigrew approached him.  
"Shall we find a seat?" Sirius asked the gang cordially. Without another word, the grinning boys made their way to the Gryffindor table. Sirius sat impatiently during the sorting hat ceremony. He needed to talk to his friends. When at last it had ended, he leaned across the oak table to speak in less audible tones with Peter, Remus and James.  
"We need to have ourselves a bit of a chat about...things," stated Sirius lamely. James swallowed his mouthful of shepherd's pie and was about to agree and commence a conversation when Remus interrupted.  
"Not here!" He whispered urgently. "Wait till we get upstairs, Sirius!" Sirius opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again at the site of Remus's stressed face.  
"Right," he said shortly. They didn't speak for the rest of the feast, except to greet other friends and to make comments about the way Peter smacked nastily when he ate. As soon as they were dismissed to their dormitories, Sirius, James, Remus and Peter began to walk idly toward the stairs leading up to Gryffindor Tower. At a loss for what to talk about without other people hearing, Sirius lazily cast about for an interesting but trivial topic of conversation. After a few seconds, he spotted Lily, a pretty redheaded girl who had been the object of James Potter's affection ever since he had first laid eyes on her. Although Sirius knew this was true, James was awkward about it. He tried to act like he didn't really care too much about Lily Evans, but for the most part he was entirely unsuccessful. Sirius loved teasing him about it.  
"So, James..." he began.  
"What, mate?"  
"Lily's looking good this year, isn't she?" James coughed and ruffled his hair He took a moment to respond before he said:  
"Who, Evans? Uh- well, I haven't noticed..."  
"Bullocks," said Sirius quickly. Peter snorted.  
"Shut it, Wormtail!" Retorted James defensively. Sirius ignored this and continued to pester his friend.  
"She's the first one you looked for as soon as we arrived. Pretty cute-but if you really don't like her, I'll take her. You can have one of her friends..."  
"Yeah, you wish," said James, irritated. He knew Sirius was only joking, but nonetheless, his face was turning magenta.  
Just then, Lupin, who had not contributed to the conversation at all so far, spoke.  
"Who's that girl talking to her? I've never seen her before." James was still huffy.  
"Dunno," he said distractedly, looking at his shuffling feet.  
"She's an odd thing," Peter pointed out. Sirius said nothing. He had fallen instantly into a slight stupor at the site of the new girl. She was unlike anything he had ever seen. She was not exactly pretty; more captivating than anything else. Her hair was light and wavy and so blonde that one might even call it off-white- her fly away whispies fell nonchalantly into her eyes, which, from where Sirius stood, appeared to be a grayish tint. They were big and lovely, though somewhat elusive. Her skin was unnaturally clear, smooth, and eminating a healthy glow. Her small, playful, child-like lips sat placed above her elfish chin and faerie face that was fixed intently upon Lily Evans. As Sirius stared at her, however, her gaze shifted from Lily's to his. Fleetingly, she looked at him, as though she had felt his stare. But just as quikly as she had turned, she had resumed her previous conversation, leaving Sirius to wonder if she had ever actually looked at him at all. He had the distinct feeling he had just been punched in the face.  
"Have you seen her before, Sirius?" Inquired Remus.  
"Wassat...?"said Sirius dreamily, still focused intently on the girl.  
"I said, have you seen the girl before?" James laughed and raised a hand in front of Sirius's eyes, finally dislodging his gaze.  
"...Oh. Um...nope, she lokks new to me."  
"Sirius, you prat!" Laughed James. "All the time you waste teasing me about Lily and you're off taking in your latest favorite."  
Sirius said nothing, merely scoffed and followed his friends through to the common room, thinking about the strange new creature. 


	2. Getting Back in the Groove

A/N- to my TWO reviewers.... sigh.... this chapter may seem slightly irrelevant and/or short, but don't be deceived. I'm trying to get more than one plot line going at once. Cuz I'm TRICKSY like that. P.S.- I'm fully aware that the marauders didn't become animagi until the end of their fifth year, but for the sake of the story...  
  
Bebajwal- um, thanks, I guess, but might I know which story that is? (I rather doubt that they'll have a similar turnout, but I'm crossing my fingers.)  
  
Snuffles2984- I got so excited when I saw your review! Thank you so much for your support. I really, really appreciate it. I just hope that I can keep my story as interesting as yours, and that you'll be compelled to keep reading it!  
  
-I'm DESPERATE for some feedback, so if you read this, kindly submit a review:)-  
  
CHAPTER #2  
  
Getting Back In The Groove  
  
Once inside Gryffindor Tower, the four marauders made their way to their favorite bunch of squashy chairs in a corner by a window and directly under a tapestry of a unicorn. There they sat until the common room had emptied entirely. After a short silence following the last student on her way up the stairs, James spoke.  
"Welcome back, mates!" He began in an audible whisper. "How have your newly adopted animagus forms done this summer?"  
"Alright," sighed Peter. "I only used it once or twice. Because it's really hard to get used to, you know? Anyway what if I had gotten caught? I wouldn't have been able to do anything with it at all this year."  
"The point, Wormtail, is to take the risk and run with it," said James irritably. "Anyway...what about you, Padfoot?" Sirius grinned. He began to use a third person nominative as he spoke:  
"Mr. Padfoot, proud Marauder and purveyor of all mischievous deeds, is delighted to say to his most trusted partners in crime (i.e. Mr. Prongs, Mr. Wormtail and Mr. Moony-) have been well represented over the course of the previous holiday," he laughed shortly, breaking his straight face, and resumed in regular speech. "I used the old black dog to get out of my house and away from family loads of times."  
"Excellent," said Moony. 

Without another word, James raised his right hand. Seeing what he was about to do, the other boys immediately followed suit. All at once, they chanted:  
_"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."_ With all three of them grinning ear to ear, James reached under his seat cushion, retrieved a box, and placed it on the small oak table in front of them. For a moment, the foursome were silent, taking in the box and heavy with anticipation...  
"Moony, the key, please," stated James grimly. Remus carefully pulled a small silver key from his robes and handed it to James, who with every fiber of his being, concentrated his efforts into the mahogany box. When he let go of the lid, it raised itself slowly, revealing a very long, rolled up piece of parchment.  
"The Map," whispered Wormtail, reaching a quivering hand toward the box's coveted contents.  
"Not yet!" Said Sirius urgently, whacking Peter's chubby hand.  
"Now, lads," said James softly and slowly. "We must work our magic to complete our mission." 

_The Marauders pulled out their wands..._


	3. The First Encounter

A/N Okay, as far as reviews go, we've almost reached the two-digit mark. Woohoo! I really appreciate those of you who have told me your thoughts on this story. Every thought is extremely encouraging. Do note as well that the story will get more involved and detailed as it develops, and I ask your patience as I use the first few chapters to develop the plot. Anyway, here we go...  
  
**Gemini**- glad you like "my style". (. I defiantly will continue to write, have no fear. In fact, after school is out (one more week, yay!) then I'll probably be able to post about a chapter a day.  
  
**Siriuslives001**- you're one hundred percent correct, SIRIUS IS NOT DEAD! Lol. Please keep reading! I hope I'm doing the most wonderful character ever justice...  
  
**Star of the Muses**- the reason the chapters were short is because they had all the information they needed to contain. I know it's a little dissatisfying but the chapters will get longer, I promise!  
  
**MidnightPrincess**- I'll keep writing, don't worry! Anyway, how could I not with such wonderful reviewers such as yourself giving me such positive feedback? You're great, and thanks very much.  
  
**Naoko-san**- I'm really glad you like it so far, thanks for reviewing!  
  
**Snuffles2984**- Yay! You reviewed me again! That makes me so happy! I'm also really pleased that you think that I'm portraying the marauders in a good light. I was really afraid I might not do it successfully. Thanks again, and please allow me to compliment you for your excellent job on chapter ten of Fallen. You're amazing I admire you so much!(.  
  
**Disclaimer**- JKR wrote Harry Potter. I'm sorry for stealing the characters and all, but its all just so damn fabulous!  
  
IF YOU DON'T SUBMIT A REVIEW THEN I'LL COME AFTER YOU WITH A KNIFE! Anyway, carry on...-  
  
CHAPTER #3 The First Encounter  
  
Sirius yawned. He had been dreaming, and while he lay there, half asleep, he could have sworn that he was not, in fact, in his bed. He had strong, half awake feelings to the contrary. Images of an endless field covered with the look and smell of heather stilled played in his mind. Eyes still closed and fighting to keep from going back to reality, he tried to remember the music, like pipes, that had seemed to drift enchantingly from a distance. There had been an unexplainable good feeling about this dream, and Sirius did not want to let go of it. When finally the pictures faded from his memory, he gave up, opened his eyes, and reluctantly pulled back his canopy hangings to look out the window to the right of his bed. The Hogwarts grounds were dancing in a soft glow of sunlight. It was dawn.  
With a yawn, Sirius gingerly let his feet touch the cold floor. When he looked up, he found the rest of his roommates going through a simi;ar systematic process. There was an unspoken mutual agreement amongst the fifth year boys that a teenage male's morning should be spent in silence, and without any immediate social interaction. This would obviously prevent any stupid, pointless rows that might occur during everyone's temporary early crankiness. They dressed in silence.  
Once they had left their dormitory and gotten a few bites to eat downstairs, however, James. Peter, Remus and Sirius were finally ready to talk. "So," began James thickly through a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "I think our map is nearly done, we just need to finish looking out for more secret passages. I was thinking we could visit old Filchy tonight..." he gulped. "Yeah, that's an idea," said Sirius eagerly. By now he had nearly completely forgotten any distracting thoughts that may have entered his mind earlier. "I can say that I need a set of office keys for my prefect's patrol on the fourth floor. Then we could get into Filch's office. He always hides his old maps and records in there..." suggested Lupin. "Or we could get James's cloak and just use a knife to pick the lock, because I know you can't use Alohamora on his door," added Sirius. "I don't know if we'll need to do it the muggle way, but I don't care. "What d'you reckon, Wormtail?" James asked Peter, who was watching a group of girls gather at the other end of the Gryffindor table with his moth hanging slightly open. "I don't know," said Peter distractedly. "But there's your girl, Sirius." He pointed rather rudely to the girl from the previous night.  
Though slightly taken aback, Sirius didn't show it. On the contrary, he recovered his surprise instantly as he flashed a cheesy, James bond-type smile and said in a debonaire voice: "She's only my girl if she wants to be my girl, Peter."  
He swept up rather spontaneously where the girl sat. She looked slightly awkward as she carefully wrapped her napkin round her metal fork and lifted it, staring at it as though it were the most frightening and curious thing she had ever seen.  
She didn't seem to notice as Sirius boldly hopped onto the spare seat across from her and said, "Hello," still flashing the same smile. The girl started, dropped her fork, and slowly lifted her funny eyes to Sirius's gaze. He looked at her eyes for a moment. Perhaps he had only imagined that they had been gray, for they were now striking at an obvious, forget-me-not blue.  
"Hello," she said, as if she were on her guard. When she didn't press on, Sirius continued: "I can see you're new here. But don't even worry about it. If you ever need help finding your way around or anything, don't hesitate to come over and ask me. You'll like it here, I think. Hogwarts is a good enough place as long as you stick with the right people. And I'm Sirius, just in case you were wondering."  
He said all this very fast and in an overly genial and eager manner. Apparently, though, the girl seemed not at all impressed by what Sirius thought had been general hospitality. "Sirius, eh?" she asked. He nodded. "Well, I'm sorry but if you think I'm daft or whatever else then you can shove that grin right up your arse because I'm not. I know that I don't look like every other girl here and that I may be a bit strange to you, but I'm not gonna have you comin' over here to poke fun at me only to leave and laugh it up with your little boyfriends. I'll not stand for it. Leave me be."  
Sirius stared. This was far from any reaction he'd imagined he'd get from offering this girl his greetings. Her rough Cornish accent had spit out every word like a dagger aimed straight for him. It was like she was defending herself from a verbal attack rather than a welcome. With a brief understanding of why she had been sitting alone, Sirius bowed respectfully as he rose and said: "I guess I'll be asking you for your name later, then?" "If I had my way you'd never know it, you proud bastard," she spat in a low voice.  
Utterly perplexed and shaking off the unusual encounter, Sirius made his way back to his original seat, where the eyes of his three friends followed him warily.  
"She didn't look too happy," said James obviously as Sirius took a seat.  
"Nah, just a bit defensive. But she'll warm up, I think," replied Sirius, trying to sound unconcerned. He didn't really feel like telling his friends she had snapped at him, but he didn't quite know why.  
"You know, I really don't think she's a normal witch. She's got to be mixed with something. Part vela, maybe. Or faerie, even. I don't know. I suppose it would be nice to have a fellow half-breed to talk to if she were one, though," speculated Lupin.  
"She's right freaky-looking, if you ask me," said Peter.  
"No one did ask you, mate," said James with a smirk.  
"Well, I mean, look at her-"  
Bt Sirius interrupted.  
"Are you lot gonna stop staring at her, then? I sure wouldn't want you to, if it were me."  
The truth was, Sirius didn't quite know why he was defending the still nameless girl. After all, the only thing she had said to him so far had been quite rude, and she was no real beauty, at that. At least not in an ordinary way. But there had been something about her from the very beginning which had sparked a rare interest in Sirius...

A/N apologies for format problems. If you have any suggestions as to why this program is such a bitch, enlighten me and add the answers to my problems to your reviews. thanks for reading, and sorry if I sounded a bit frustrated just then...


	4. Shreiking Shack

A/N there's not really much to say this time, except that I appreciate your feedback and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Last day of school tomorrow (phew) so expect some updates soon.  
  
For the reviewers  
  
**Darkness-nightfall**- yah, I guess the cussing did seem to come out of nowhere, but I'm going to make this girl's character (and yes, you will find out her name, it's not just "girl") quite spirited, which I think is going to work. Thanks for reviewing, and please keep reading!  
  
**Star of the Muses**- I'm glad you liked the way I did the last chapter. Thanks for your feedback!  
  
**professor-fidget**- Thanks! I'm going to try and check out some of your stuff as soon as I can, I love reading other people's work!  
  
**Drop-depp-gorgeous**- did I update soon enough? Thanks for reviewing, and I'd like to compliment you on your pen name. It's fabulous.  
  
**Siriuslives00**1- Sirius is alive, indeed. And well. Yes. AND NO GUESSING FUTURE PLOT DEVELOPMENTS! Lol. Kidding, but seriously, do you think I'm gonna tell you anything?  
  
Now take a moment and look at the time I put into everyone's little notes. I'm sure you want a little note, too, dontchya? Well, that requires reviewing, and if you don't review you don't get one. HA!   
  
**Disclaimer**- HARRY POTTER IS MINE! I mean, JK's. Harry potter belongs to JK Rowling. Yes...  
  
**CHAPTER FOUR**  
  
**The Shrieking Shack  
  
** The following week on a Monday after dinner, Remus, Sirius, James and Peter made their way out to their favorite tree beside the lake on the vast Hogwarts grounds. When they had settled there, James took a golden snitch out of his pocket, and was just about to entertain a goggly-eyed Peter with some newly obtained Quidditch techniques when Sirius interrupted.  
"Oh, really, James, I can't stand it when you fool around with that thing. Kindly desist," he imitated Professor McGonagoll on the last command as he lay back on the grass with his hands behind his head.  
James sighed simultaneously with Peter and was about to put the snitch back in his bag when he looked over at Remus, who was smirking from behind his book.  
  
"AHA! But look, Sirius," James nudged his friend and pointed at Remus, the small snitch still fluttering in his fist. "Remus thinks it's funny. He likes the snitch. I don't know why you're such a pussy about Quidditch but you're overruled. I'm gonna play with this thing extra- flamboyantly just to get your girdle." With that, he proceeded to play his favorite game of "let go and catch again" with Peter looking on, ready to wet himself.  
  
"James, I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing at my book," said Remus finally with a small smile on his intelligent face.  
  
James paused his game and opened his mouth to say something but was apparently lost for words.  
  
"Whatever, James. Do whatever you like, I don't care," Sirius laughed. There was a small pause. "And I'm not a pussy."  
  
For awhile they sat quietly with only the sounds of the light breeze rippling the lake and Peter's whoops of pleasure every time James made a particularly good catch with the snitch breaking the silence. When some time had passed, however, Sirius turned to Remus and said:  
  
"You alright, mate? You're looking a bit peaky."  
  
Remus closed his book and looked over at his friend. "Oh, you know," he paused and looked around nervously. "It's just that it's almost the full moon."  
  
James abruptly stuffed the snitch in his pocket as Sirius sat up and Peter blinked. A moment passed, and then:  
  
"Hey, I almost forgot about that!" Whispered James excitedly.  
  
"Yah, me too," said Peter and Sirius together.  
  
"Well, I do have an idea for what we can do this time. You know, since you all are animagi now and everything," said Remus.  
  
Sirius and his friends stared incredulously at him. Remus Lupin, have an idea for a mischievous deed? He was brilliant, granted, so his notion would undoubtedly be a good one. It was just that Remus never actually took part in thinking up plans to wreak havoc on Hogwarts. He only went along with them. Surprised, curious and grinning, Sirius suddenly felt a surge of affection for his werewolf friend.  
  
"Do you want to hear it, or not?" Remus continued. The other three marauders nodded with open-mouthed consent. "What we would do, then, is first bring out your invisibility cloak, James. After Madam Pomfrey has taken me off to the shrieking shack to transform, you guys hide under the cloak that night and go over to the whomping willow. Make sure you listen carefully to what I'm about to say about what to do once you reach the tree: There is a large knot on one of its roots. When you reach it, press down on it hard, so that it stops the tree whomping. After that, you can transform and climb through the tunnel that will take you directly to the shrieking shack. I'll be waiting in my werewolf form to meet you there. This time, though, since you're animagi, I wont be able to, nor will I want to harm you," There was a pause as a grin spread across Remus's face and his friends stared at him. "Well?" He asked impatiently. "What d'you think?"  
  
Sirius cracked a devious smile. "Brilliant," he said simply.  
  
"I concur," said James.  
  
"Sounds okay to me, but you any have to repeat it once or twice," added Peter.  
  
The boys discussed the details of their plans all the way back up to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
On the first day of the full moon, Sirius could barely contain his excitement. It was the last class of the day: potions. Itching with anticipation, he could tell that he and his friends were all sharing his agony. Though, for James, Peter and himself, that agony was impatience. For Remus, it was probably mingled with intense wishes that it wasn't yet full moon (being a werewolf is quite painful) and excitement about how the evening would go over. They all stirred their potions feverishly, as Sirius looked around the dungeon, uselessly wishing that there were windows below the earth. AT least then he would have some concept of time judging by the level of sun in the sky. He was, in fact, so distracted, that when James reminded him that he had forgotten to add powdered root of asphodel, the warning had come too late. Professor Ruojnoc, the Potions Mistress, swept over to Sirius's cauldron.  
  
"Mr. Black? What do you call that mixture you're stirring?"  
  
Sirius snapped out of his wandering thoughts and almost instantly recovered his wit. "What, this?" Responded Sirius innocently, gesturing toward his pewter cauldron. "I call it you're-the-best-teacher-I've-ever-had-the-priviledge-to-learn-from stew.  
  
"That's clever, but I was thinking more along the lines of unredeemable mess," said the professor plainly with a slight smirk. "I'm going to clear this away, Black, as you've obviously neglected to add the asphodel and your stirring has been slack and in the wrong direction. Clockwise, Mr. Black, always clockwise when making any kind of strengthening solution. Luckily for you, you still have forty-five minutes remaining, and I won't count this disappointing piece of rubbish as long as you can produce and bottle another draft of the solution before your time is up. Get to work now. I know you're smart; you just need to concentrate more. Evanesco," she waved her wand and went to examine Remus's cauldron.  
  
Exasperated, Sirius grumbled and looked around. His hair was falling into his face and he blew up out of the corner of his mouth to clear his vision. He looked blandly for a moment at what his eyes were seeing, standing alone in the back of the room with her cauldron. It was the girl. She was looking right back at him with an unfaltering glare, snickering, eyes ablaze at a vibrant grass-colored green. Sirius stared back warily.  
  
Green? Since when had her eyes been green?  
  
"Sirius Black! I want to see progress on that potion, sir!" Professor Ruojnoc shot from the other end of the dungeon.  
  
"I'll help you, mate," offered James, who had already finished his solution and noticed how distracted his friend was.  
  
For the rest of the class, Sirius decided to go ahead and work as diligently as he could, or at least as diligently as his head, now swimming in thought, would allow.  
  
Late that same night, Sirius, James and Peter sat watching the last Gryffindor, a spindly-legged second year girl, stroll up the stairs to the girl's dormitories. Remus had already been taken out to the willow a few hours before dark. When they all heard the safe click of a doorknob, the three boys crammed under James' s invisibility cloak and crept out of the common room.  
Down at the willow, the three boys recited the spell that would change their forms from human to animal:  
  
_ "Twisting bones and bending back  
Give us a power we want not to lack  
Hooves and feet with claws and fur,  
With strength and with will let the transformation occur"  
  
Three creatures: a rat, a stag, and a great black dog made their way to the knot under the tree and disappeared...  
_  
Hours later, a teenage boy, a stag, a rat and a dog climbed out of the tunnel hours later. After they had all transformed into their human selves once more, Sirius made to pick up James's cloak by the tree when he heard a gasp. Standing a little ways away near the edge of the forest, was a girl with whispy blonde hair...  
  
(A/N- there is no spell for obtaining an animagus form, it's just for fun...) 


	5. A Problem is Represented

A/N- this chapter is much longer and proved quite difficult to write, because it holds a lot of valuable plot devices. So you better enjoy it! (One more note- after the next few chapters are posted I will be going on an exchange program in France for about two and a half weeks. After that, I'll be back for probably four days in which I will post the remainder of the chapters before leaving for Boston for five weeks. (I've got a busy summer planned). To those of you who have still stuck with me at that point, I would be great if you could still give me a review for each chapter. That would make me feel quite special when I got back! Also, please spread the word about my story (if you like it, at least) and I will love you forever! Lol. Anyway, sorry for making that so long, you're probably dying of boredom. To my reviewers...  
  
**Professor-fidget**- thanks for your reviews! If you check on yours for STORY OF A LONELY GUY you'll see that I've finally gotten around to checking out some of your writing, and what I've read so far, I really like!  
  
**Star of the Muses**- sorry about all the cliffies. But they're so fun, don't you admit? And don't worry, you'll see more interaction when it's ready to happen, I've got it all mapped out. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
**MidnightPrincess**- thanks for the reviews! I'm not gonna tell what will happen next, but keep reading! You'll find out more now...  
  
**Snuffles2984**- again, thank you so much for reviewing me! I feel like I'm getting autographs when I read your comments, lol. Great job on chapter 11 of fallen, too! (.  
  
Hey! I've got 20 reviews! Now only 80 more to go before I reach my goal, 100. {Evil twin laughs maniacally, I sigh...}  
  
**Disclaimer**-If I owned Harry Potter, the world would be a very different place... But I don't. So keep your pants on.  
  
**CHAPTER FIVE  
  
A Problem is Represented  
  
** Sirius stared. _What was she doing here?_ He knew he should have grabbed her, shook her, made her understand that she couldn't tell a soul. But he didn't do anything. He couldn't. He could not move or think. He only stood there, staring at her, trying hopelessly to tear his eyes away from her staggering, shameless gaze. _She had seen_, he thought. _She had seen. She knows_. But as he stood and watched her eyes turn a steely gray-blue in the dark, reflecting off the light of the moon, she turned and ran, holding a bundle under her arms. Sirius watched her turn up toward the castle.  
  
"Sirius!" cried James. "Sirius stop her, what are you doing?" His screams echoed and faded into the night.  
  
Sirius turned. James was looking both confused and outraged. He let out a moan of frustration as Peter looked on. Remus, however, was staring straight at Sirius.  
Without another word, Sirius turned and ran blindly back up to the castle behind the girl. He heard voices calling out his name from behind, but he didn't pay them any attention. As he too turned toward the direction of Hogwarts, he expected to see her sprinting a few yards ahead. He was surprised to see that she wasn't, however. In spite of himself, Sirius found that he was marveling at her speed as he tried to put as much distance as possible between him and the marauders. He didn't know what to do. If he decided to go straight to the common room and wait, then would they be angry with him for not stopping the girl when they got there? If he decided not to go straight to Gryffindor Tower, but somewhere else instead, would they be upset that he didn't confront them immediately?  
_They're going to be upset with you, no matter what you do_, he told himself, and instead of making his way up to the main staircase, he turned and went toward the side of the Great Hall and made his way down a little- known corridor. Slowing is pace, Sirius observed the tapestries and paintings on the wall, all examining him with curiosity.  
It was as he passed a tapestry depicting Barabas the Barmy's attempt to train trolls for the ballet hen it hit him. He was not wearing the invisibility cloak. If Filch were to come walking down the corridor right now, he would be done for. Panicking, Sirius turned and passed the tapestry a second time, thinking that he'd better get back to the common room, and fast. As soon as this thought crossed his mind, however, he realized that it was a dim one. Risking making his way back to the common that night unnoticed meant risking not only getting himself into trouble, but his friends as well. He turned a third time and passed a door that was once a tapestry as he retreated further along the dark hallway. _Wait. A door?_ Sirius stopped in his tracks. He was sure that that door, that large mahogany door, had once been a tapestry of trolls beating a wizard to a pulp. Yet there it stood, about 10ft by 4ft, huge, heavy looking and clear as day. Shrugging, he tentatively reached for the handle and turned the knob. He shut the door behind him and heard a soft, satisfying click as it locked. It took Sirius a moment to believe what he was seeing. Laid out before him was a small bedroom chamber with high ceilings and a gigantic moonlit stained glass window that hung beautifully over the canopy bed. A dim light was emanating from the corner where a crackling fire was burning, warming the room and making him drowsy. He looked at the full moon outside the window. Feeling oddly bold, Sirius walked over to the bed and sat on it. It was covered in pillows and down blankets. Sitting on the mahogany bedside table next to him was a mug of warm cocoa. Without any second thoughts or hesitations, Sirius took the mug and drained it greedily. He lay back and felt all his worries slip his mind as he crawled under the blankets and fell instantly into a comatose, dreamless sleep.  
  
Sirius awoke the following morning feeling more carefree and refreshed then he ever had in his life. Reluctantly, Sirius got up, cast a last look at the room, and went back up to Gryffindor Tower.  
The short amount of time that Sirius had spent in the bedroom seemed to have given him an amazingly cleared head. He felt that now, even though he had no idea what to say to them, that he could probably talk to James, Remus and Peter rationally.  
When he reached the portrait of a snoozing fat woman in a silk pink dress, Sirius said clearly to her:  
  
"Salazar Slytherin smells like a wet dog,"  
  
The portrait jerked out of her nap and said to Sirius, "Password?"  
  
"I've just given it top you," responded Sirius impatiently. "Salazar Slytherin smells like a wet dog."  
  
"Correct," said the fat lady, and as Sirius made for the portrait hole, she added, "Not going to Hogsmeade this weekend, I suppose?"  
  
Sirius's stomach leapt into his throat.  
  
"Hogsmeade?" Said Sirius blankly, his mouth very dry.  
  
"Well, it's the first Hogsmeade weekend, and all of the students have left already," she said matter-of-factly.  
  
Sirius said nothing, but dashed clumsily through the cramped portal and ran to a corner near a window with four slightly squashy chairs and a small table, all sitting directly under a tapestry of a unicorn.  
Sirius ran and disemboweled James's usual chair rather carelessly, looking for a small wooden box. When he found it, he couldn't get it open.  
  
"Shite," said Sirius quietly to himself. "Remus has the key." He looked out around the empty common room, brushing his black hair out of his eyes. He pulled out his wand. "_Alohamora_," he whispered. The spell did nothing. Thanks to Remus, the box would not open without a key. He thought for a moment, then remembered the extra-handy knife he kept locked up in his trunk.  
Tucking the box carefully under his arm, Sirius rearranged the cushions on James's chair haphazardly before dashing straight to the trunk at the foot of his bed. Ripping things out and throwing them across the room, he finally found his all-purpose pocketknife. He clicked the small button on its handle that instantly caused a small pin to pop out of it. Sirius caught it, used it to open the box, and retrieved the Marauders map. Looking around one last time, he took the invisibility cloak under James's pillow, tapped his wand on the parchment and whispered:  
  
"_I solemnly swear I am up to no good_."  
  
Sirius left the common and found his destination without too much deliberation: the statue of the one-eyed witch. Slightly giddy, he tapped the witch's hump lightly and said, "_Dissendium_." The hump opened wide, and Sirius hopped in. he slid quickly down the slide and landed on cold, damp earth. He lit his wand and the light from its tip revealed a long, earthy and familiar passageway. He raised the map, tapped it again and said, "Mischief managed!" It went blank. He rolled it up and placed it carefully in his robes pocket. About fifteen tedious minutes later, Sirius reached the long stairway, made his way up them, and found the trapdoor. Once inside the Honeydukes cellar, he looked around cautiously. Finding the lace empty, he climbed the stairs and ended up in the crowded candy shop. He made his way through the crowd, out the door and onto the street.  
Feeling slightly odd, especially because of the fact that he had no money with him and was wearing the same set of robes he had had on two days before, Sirius let the memories of the previous night wash over him as he combed the cobbled streets for signs of his friends. He needed to speak with them; not only about the troubling memories of the past night but also the good ones: Their first trip to the Shrieking Shack with Remus had been unforgettable. _Surely_ _they would have to repeat the tradition every full moon form now on_, thought Sirius with a smirk. He couldn't wait until next month.  
It was then that he remembered: they couldn't possibly continue journeying to the Shrieking Shack. Not while that girl was still around, anyway. Sirius's smirk turned to a sour expression as he turned into a pub called _The Three Broomsticks_. Sure enough, his three friends were sitting in a slightly less populated corner of the room; heads together and whispering urgently.  
When he approached the edge of the table, James scooted over and said:  
  
"Sit down, mate."  
  
All three of them were staring at him as if he had come back from the dead.  
  
"What?" Said Sirius thickly, after a period where no one spoke, but merely stared openly at him.  
  
"Well," answered Remus. "First of all, where were you?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd thought you'd been killed or something," said Peter.  
  
James gave him an exasperated look that Peter didn't see.  
  
Sirius let out a short and empty bark-like laugh before launching into an explanation about the mysterious room from the night before. He told them where it was and how he'd found it, its presence so conspicuous that it had seemed as though it had been created on the spot for his own personal use.  
  
"Huh," said James, when Sirius had finished.  
  
"That's sorta freaky," said Peter quietly.  
  
"Well, yeah- "began Sirius, but Lupin broke him off.  
  
"Where was the room again, did you say?"  
  
"Right where that old tapestry of Barabas the Barmy being slugged is hung, on the ground floor."  
  
"Would you mind taking us there tonight?"  
  
Sirius laughed awkwardly. "UH, no, I suppose not. Why?"  
  
"Well, it just seems that it might prove useful," said Lupin, shrugging.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Hey, we need to add it to our map!" Said James enthusiastically.  
  
"That's exactly what I was thinking,'" said Lupin.  
  
There was a pause in which James, Sirius and Lupin watched Peter create a nauseating concoction with his butterbeer and various other edible items to his iron mug, completely unaware that his friends were watching him with utmost disgust. When Sirius finally tore his eyes away from this gruesome sight, he turned to James and asked:  
  
"Why aren't you all furious with me? I thought I had really made you angry, running off like that; and letting that... that girl get away after seeing us, you know..." he trailed off and made sure no one was listening in.  
  
"Well, we were really, really mad at first- "  
  
"-Haha, yeah, James got really huffy-"  
  
"I did not, Peter!"  
  
"-You did, you were kicking anything you could get at-"  
  
Lupin interrupted and spoke over them.  
  
"BUT, we decided that even if we had been able to stop her running off, it wouldn't have done a bit of good, since she had already seen everything."  
  
"That's where our real problem is represented, you see," said James, who had forgotten about Peter now that they had moved on to more pressing problems.  
  
"We don't know what to do abut that girl," sighed Remus.  
  
"Oh, I know exactly what to do with her..." James made a gesture of slitting a throat. Peter laughed.  
  
"We can't hurt her!" Said Sirius and Remus together.  
  
"Why not?" Asked Peter stupidly.  
  
Sirius opened his mouth but said nothing.  
  
"Because," said Lupin calmly, sparing Sirius the need to speak. "She didn't do anything wrong. She was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. And besides- we don't even know if she will tell anyone, anyway."  
  
"Oh, come on, she's a snobbish little bat! She's already bitten off Sirius's head for saying hello to her, so she obviously doesn't like us. She's got a good enough motive to run off and tattle on us to the Headmaster!"  
  
"She won't," said Sirius.  
  
"We have to do something about it, anyway, otherwise we'll never be able to go with Remus to the Shrieking Shack again! We'll need to at least talk to her; though I don't even know if she's even humane enough to carry on a polite conversation. I thin she may be the world's biggest-" James stopped mid-sentence and looked up at the corner of the table. There stood the girl- amber eyes flashing in James's direction.  
  
"The world's biggest what?" she asked coolly, a smirk playing on her impish face.  
  
James opened his mouth, but she interrupted, saying:  
  
"Don't worry, that was a rhetorical question. I really don't care to know what you were about to say."

A/N sorry, another cliffhanger, I know, but it just seemed to work so well... Don't worry! I'll try to post chapter six within the next two days. TTFN... 


	6. A Few Good Surprises

**A/N-**this is the final chapter that will be posted before I go on vacation. Please enjoy, read and review and I'll try and post another one as soon as I return in two weeks. Thanks guys!  
  
**Snuffles2984-** so far, you are my most faithful reviewer. Thank you so much for your continued support, it's really keeping me going!  
  
**Star of the Muses-** Sorry about the cliffy, but I couldn't help myself, lol. Don't worry though, this chapter is completely cliffhanger-free. Enjoy! (.  
  
**Lynn-Dumbledore-** thanks for your review; it's always good to see a new person submitting comments. I hope you like this chapter and continue to read. (.  
  
**Disclaimer-** why do I have to keep saying this? If I say it five extra times, does that mean I don't have to write disclaimers for the next five chapters? You Nazis! I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER. I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER. I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER. I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER. I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER. I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER. There we go............  
  
**CHAPTER SIX  
  
A Few Good Surprises**  
  
James looked as though she had just slapped him across the face.  
  
"Look," began Sirius, her piercing stare turning its focus to him. He shifted uncomfortably. _Did she ever blink?_ "Look, um- we know that you saw us, uh, transform yesterday, and- we just sort of hoped that you, uh... wouldn't tell anyone."  
  
"Oh, well, o' course. I had expected that you four'd be kissin' my arse about now, so I decided to skip the preamble," she said. Her manner of speaking was proud and very forward. Before she could resume her speech, however, Peter interrupted and said in a cowardly, slightly high-pitched voice:  
  
"We'll do anything you tell us."  
  
The girl made a rude gesture at him and laughed outwardly. Peter looked horrified.  
  
"Don't be thick," she said. "I'm not blackmailin' you. I just wanted to tell you all not to worry."  
  
Very abruptly and very suddenly, she stopped speaking, turned, went over to the other side of the pub near the entrance and they lost her in the numerable crowd.  
  
"Not to worry?" said James blankly. "What's that supposed to mean? She never said anything about us being animagi! Is she trying to tell us something?"  
  
"She told us not to worry," said Sirius, smirking at the stressed look on his best friend's face.  
  
"Yeah, but what was she talking about? What if she meant she was gonna tell?" Said Peter anxiously.  
  
"She was bluffing," said James, making a valiant effort to recover his cool.  
  
"What do you think, Moony?" Sirius asked Remus, who appeared to have been lost in thought.  
  
"I don't think she'll say anything. What has she got to gain by telling anyone? If you ask me, I'd say she's just getting a bit of pleasure in the looks on all of our faces," said Remus nonchalantly.  
  
James gaped at him. "Well, that gives me another reason not to like her, she's so-"  
  
But for the second time in the past ten minutes, James ceased talking due to the fact that a girl had approached the table. This time, however, the girl was not nameless. It was Lily Evans. James ruffled his hair absentmindedly.  
  
"Evans, "he said in his most mature voice. She ignored him.  
  
"Alright Remus? Peter. Sirius," she nodded at everyone save for James in turn. Sirius laughed out loud at the affronted look on James's face.  
  
"Can we help you, Lily?" Asked Remus politely.  
  
"Well, I just came over to tell you something," she paused and looked behind her. She looked a bit uncomfortable.  
  
"I KNEW IT!" Shouted James suddenly, pounding his fist so that the contents of his mug splashed all over the oak table. "You've fallen completely head over heels in love with me. Is that it, Evans?"  
  
Lily looked too disgusted for words.  
  
"Anyway, Remus, I wanted to sort of give you a heads up about that girl who was just over here. She's in my ancient runes class, and she's very... _strange_," said Lily.  
  
"How do you mean?" Prompted Lupin.  
  
"Well, for one thing, she knows most of the runes already, and I think she knew them before she came here. This makes me think she's not entirely human."  
  
"What, have you got a problem with part-humans?" Said Sirius bluntly. Remus shot him a look of warning, but he pretended not to see it.  
  
"No, no, of course not, but..."  
  
"Yes?" Asked Sirius.  
  
"I was only coming over here to warn you just to keep your distance from her," said Lily uneasily.  
  
"Is that why she hasn't got any friends, then?" Sirius raised his voice. He was getting angry now.  
  
"Sirius, calm down," whispered Remus.  
  
"No! What right do you have to go scaring off people from talking to her? What's she done to you/ I think it's disgusting, what you're doing to her. You're the most snobbish little prick I've ever-"  
  
"Hey!" James had risen to his feet. By now there were a few people in the vicinity looking on as the argument progressed into a row. "Don't go off on Evans just because she doesn't like your weird little girlfriend!"  
  
"I don't need you to defend me, Potter. I won't bother in the future. I'm leaving." Lily stormed off.  
  
"Bitch!" Sirius called to Lily's exiting back.  
  
She kept walking, either because she chose to ignore the comment or because she didn't hear it. She was moving very quickly to her original booth, where a few of her friends sat, waiting. As he watched her leave The Three Broomsticks with the group, the background noise had gone from silence to hissing whispers.  
  
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sirius heard a voice say, "_Incarcerous!_"  
  
Sirius was too quick for his attacker. On instinct, he pulled out his wand and yelled, "_Protego!_" in the direction of the incoming spell. It hit James, and he was thrown back on his seat by the force of the blocking spell. Red sparks from Remus's wand flew into the air.  
  
"That's enough!" He bellowed. "Pay for your drinks. Let's go."  
  
Lupin took both of his two friends by the shoulder and escorted them out of the pub. Peter trailed behind and eyes followed the four of them all the way out the door. They turned into an alleyway. Both Sirius and James were fuming. Remus looked livid, and Peter looked scared.  
  
"Now," began Remus calmly. "Would either of you mind telling me why that was necessary?"  
  
"I didn't do anything! All I did was block him from jinxing me!" Said Sirius indignantly, pointing at James.  
  
"You called Evans a...a..."  
  
"A bitch?" snorted Sirius.  
  
"Hey! You'd better stop it!"  
  
"You provoked him, Sirius," said Lupin softly.  
  
And what are you going to do? Turn us in, eh, _Prefect?_" Snarled Sirius defensively.  
  
"No." Lupin's voice remained calm, but he still looked hurt.  
  
Immediately, Sirius began to feel guilty. He knew Remus was only trying to help. It was James he was really upset with. Sure, he had called Lily Evans, God forbid, a bitch, but she had deserved it. What right did that girl have to keep the other one, no matter how strange, from making friends? It was infuriating. And Sirius was never one to just sit and endure it when someone did or said something he didn't like. He exhaled, blowing the dark hair out of his gray eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, James," he said stiffly.  
  
"Well, as long as you never say anything about Evans again-"  
  
"- I won't -"  
  
"- Can you guarantee that?"  
  
"Why don't you shake on it? Suggested Peter warily. Remus laughed.  
  
Reluctantly, the two friends shook hand without making any eye contact.  
  
"Shall we carry on, then?" Asked Remus, evidently pleased that the disagreement had at least subsided.  
  
For the remainder of the afternoon, the Marauders spent their time browsing in Zonko's Joke Shop, Honeydukes, and the Quidditch supply store. As the tension between Sirius and James gradually eased, they found it easier to recount the memories of their first moonlight romp with Remus, the mysterious room that Sirius had spent the night in, and Quidditch, among other things.  
  
When they had returned to the castle, Sirius took his three friends to the location of the room, as promised. When they finally reached the spot, however, the room was nowhere in site. There was no hint that it had ever even appeared. Completely taken aback by this, Sirius was lost for words.  
  
"Maybe you dreamed it, mate," said James quietly, looking mildly concerned.  
  
Sirius had said nothing, but merely shrugged and led the way back down the corridor, shaking his head.  
  
As time passed, the four friends became less and less paranoid about whether or not the girl would tell their secret, figuring that if she were to say something, she would have said it by now. They continued joining Remus every full moon, and Sirius found himself becoming more and more fascinated with the strange girl, bumping into her "accidentally" in the hallways and stealing glances at her in the Gryffindor common room. He actually became quite skilled at thinking of perfectly legitimate reasons to catch a quick glance or talk to her briefly without her or any of his friends forming any suspicions.  
  
He didn't know why he was so secretive about the fact that he was fond of her. Maybe it was because he knew that James wouldn't like it, and he didn't want to loose his best friend. Maybe it was because she wouldn't like it; no matter how much Sirius thought of her, he knew she didn't care in the least about him. Whatever the reason, Sirius kept his secret all the way through to the Christmas holidays.  
  
Up until before the break, Sirius had been planning on spending a full two and a half weeks at his parent's house. He had been dreading the prospect of staying there. Sirius's parents lived in London, and were the most prejudiced pureblooded family he knew. His returns home for holidays were always the same: he would be greeted with cold and formal "hellos" from his father and mother, and would spend the entire time listening to them gloat over his idiot little brother, Regulus, who was eleven and had been sorted into Slytherin at the beginning of that year. He would never hear the end of it. The subject of Sirius being sorted into Gryffindor had always been a source of great tension between him and his parents. He was the only Gryffindor to have ever been born into The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.  
  
A week before term ended, Sirius's gloomy mood at the idea of returning once more to London for Christmas lifted and delivered to him in the form of a large tawny owl over breakfast one morning. Enclosed in the envelope was a short letter written in his mother's wavy script.  
  
_Sirius:  
  
Unfortunately, you will have to make plans to stay at school over the course of the holidays. As your brother, Regulus, has been sorted into Slytherin House, he and I and Mr. Black's presence has been requested at the Lestrange mansion over Christmas. I'm sure you'll understand.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Aramenia Black  
_  
Sirius let out a whoop of joy when he had read the letter. An immense feeling of relief swept over him. _He wouldn't have to see his family again until that summer_.  
  
"Yes! I don't have to stay at my parent's house after all! I'm going to stay here!" Sirius could hardly suppress his glee.  
  
"That's great, Sirius!" Smiled Remus.  
  
"Yeah, it is, but I'm afraid you're going to be all alone, mate. I can't take you with me this Christmas. My parents and I are going off to France, or something like that..." said James half-heartedly.  
  
"I don't care!" Laughed Sirius, "As long as I don't have to go to London, I couldn't be happier!" He was grinning form ear to ear.  
  
Just then, Professor McGonnagal, the transfiguration teacher, approached the table clutching the list of who would be staying and who would be leaving Hogwarts for the Holidays  
  
"Potter, what about you? Will you be leaving the school for Christmas?" She asked briskly.  
  
"Yes, Professor," said James.  
  
"Lupin?"  
  
"I'm leaving, Professor."  
  
"Pettigrew?"  
  
"I'm staying," said Peter, his mouth full of bacon. Sirius fought the urge to groan. Two weeks straight with Peter Pettigrew was going to be no walk in the park. Professor McGonnagal made some note on her role of parchment.  
  
"And Mr. Black?"  
  
"I'm staying."  
  
"Right- I'll be seeing you and Mr. Pettigrew at the Christmas feast, then? Anyway, how about you, Mr.-" she began moving off toward the end of the Gryffindor table, but Sirius caught her by the sleeve of her robe, struck by a sudden thought.  
  
"Wait, Professor..."  
  
"Yes, Black, what is it?" She said irritably, smoothing out her robe where Sirius had ruffled it.  
  
"I just wondered who else is staying behind this year?"  
  
"Just in Gryffindor?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, all I've got so far is you, Peter, and Fay Farthing."  
  
She moved off. Sirius said nothing, but was almost one hundred percent sure that Fay Farthing was the name of the girl who had haunted his thoughts for the past four autumn months.  
  
**A/N**-Sorry guys, I know I leave a lot of these things, but please **READ AND REVIEW!** And I will be sure to post the next chapter in two weeks. Thank you all, I love you guys so much! TTFN............ 


	7. Fay Speaks

**A/N**- OK, I know I promised to have this updated in two weeks, but I got held up at the airport for an extra day and things just got backed up from there. But like a good girl, I kept up with my writing over my trip and have written chapters seven (evidently) and eight. The catch is that I'm gonna give you all a couple of days to read and review before I post chapter eight. Evil, huh? But, I don't even know how many reviewers I've lost in my most unfortunate absence. Well, for now, read up and enjoy. Thank you so much for your patience!  
  
Reviewers:  
  
**Professor-fidget**- I thought I hadn't given you a cliffhanger! (Shows what I know) but you can give me credit for trying, right? Anyway, thanks for your reviews, I love them and your really very constant about it all!  
  
**Snuffles2984**- Well, I do hope I made the period of their Christmas break interesting enough... you can judge that. But thank you again for your wonderful review, and (as if I don't tell you enough on the reviews for it) amazing job with Fallen, as always! You truly deserve all two hundred reviews!  
  
**MidnightPrincess**- sorry I didn't update soon... don't kill me? { puppy eyes }  
  
**Star of the Muses**- glad you liked it, keep reviewing!  
  
Only four reviews? Is that the best you can do? Sheesh I feel like my mother... do you want your cell phone privileges taken away? –  
  
**Disclaimer**-I swear, one day I'll rebel and not write a disclaimer, or just "forget", you know. But as for today, I'm too much of a chickenshit (scuz the French) to do that. So please, don't sue me. Preciate it.  
  
**CHAPTER #7 Fay Speaks  
**  
The next day, Sirius rose early to make sure that he had enough time to see his friends off. And anyway, the prospect of staying with the girl –Fay, was enough to keep him up all night. Looking out the window at the newly risen sun, Sirius estimated that it was about seven thirty in the morning. He left the dormitory quietly so as not to wake his friends and went to take a shower.  
  
About twenty minutes later, Sirius descended down the steps, ruffling his dark hair in order to dry it manually. By now there were a few people scattered about the common room, most of them looking as though they were still asleep. One group of fourth year girls was pointing at him and giggling, rather obviously. As he passed, Sirius could have sworn he heard one of them say, "He looks good wet." He pretended not to hear this as he went to sit in his favorite chair by the fire.  
  
The attention he always got from girls made him extremely uncomfortable. For some reason, up until this year, he had always kept girls at arms length, slightly off-handed by how much they seemed to like him. This always caused any potential girlfriends to get broken-hearted or back down. It was never anything personal, of course, but their interest in Sirius had always given off a reverse affect. He had never really wanted anything to do with girls at all. That was why he felt so confused and confronted about Fay. Perhaps it was because she was the only girl who didn't goggle at him. Perhaps it was simply his first real attraction. She was defiantly the most interesting girl he had met thus far. Whatever the case, Fay was taking hold of his imagination, and he didn't know quite how to handle it.  
  
Sirius had been so deep in thought that his pensive gaze into the fire had prevented him from noticing his three friends join him- Remus and James slopping their trunks directly under his nose.  
  
"Oy!" Laughed James, slapping Sirius playfully on the back of the head.  
  
"Wha-" Sirius rubbed his head irritably and continued to stare into the fireplace, undaunted by the slap. Remus waved a hand in front of Sirius's passive-looking gray eyes, finally causing him to look away.  
  
"Oh, hey guys," said Sirius, as though his friends had only just joined him.  
  
James let out a small huff and knocked on the top of Sirius's head with his fist. "Hello, is my friends Sirius in there?"  
  
"Haha, original," said Sirius forcibly, slightly annoyed at first at having lost his train of thought. His annoyance quickly ebbed away, however, when he remembered who he had been waiting for in the first place.  
  
"Getting ready to leave me, I suppose?" He said with a half-hearted smile.  
  
"I'm not leaving you, Sirius!" said Peter huffily.  
  
They all ignored him, agreeing silently that Peter was best off if left alone in the mornings, as his care required too much patience. He was like a difficult and, admittedly, useless house pet.  
  
"Yeah, sorry mate. We just wanted to bid farewell and God's speed whilst ye noble gentlemen hold down the Piaf this holiday," said James, who was now picking up his trunk again.  
  
"It's only two weeks, remember," added Remus, whose sick-looking young face was darting from him to Peter with the utmost sympathy.  
  
"Yeah," two weeks sounded more like two years.  
  
"Take care, Padfoot."  
  
"It'll be over soon. Have a good holiday."  
  
Sirius raised a hand in a stationary wave as he sighed and watched James and Remus climb through the portrait hole as best they could with their large trunks, leaving him alone with Peter. He knew he had much to be grateful for- any les time spent among his family was well spent. Yet, he always felt empty when he was abandoned by his friends over breaks. They were the sanity in which he embellished. Peter was a friend, true enough, but he just wasn't James Potter or Remus Lupin. With one last intake of breath to ensure patience and strength, Sirius turned to Peter and said:  
  
"Well Wormtail, shall we dine?"  
  
"Thank Merlin, I'm dying of starvation," said Peter, scampering toward the portrait hole.  
  
Down in the great Hall, festive decoration had adorned the walls and corners, reminding the few staying behind that Christmas was drawing near. When Peter and Sirius entered, a passing knight opened its visor and began to chant God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen very loudly. Mistletoe and ribbon was scattered throughout the hall, and twelve large Christmas trees were spaced along the walls. The house and staff tables had been stacked outside in a corridor and replaced by a single, high mahogany table in the middle of the room, set with exactly the right amount of chairs for each person spending their vacation in the castle.  
  
If Fay Farthing was indeed staying at Hogwarts over break, Sirius didn't see her, because she didn't come to breakfast. By the end of the meal, Sirius was not exactly in high spirits. Aside from the fact that he hadn't yet seen Fay, Peter was being very obnoxious and stupid, and he found himself wishing fervently for James's and Remus's return only an hour after they both had left.  
  
Deciding he needed time to clear his head, Sirius left the small table, pushed in his chair, and told Peter that he was going for a walk, and that he would meet up with him later in the Tower. Reluctantly, Peter assented, and Sirius stood in the doorway for a few minutes as he watched the chubby boy walk, hunched, taking his time and staring at his dragging feet up the marble staircase to Gryffindor Tower. Sirius noted briefly that Peter's mannerisms strongly resembled those of the rodent he turned into once a month.  
  
Figuring that his time without James and Remus would at least give him some rare opportunities to think, Sirius decided to take his stroll down the hallway that was home to the room he had spent the night in months before. He had considered going outside; it was a nice day out- but he also knew that if he went out on the grounds he would meet any other students who had remained in the castle, and he was feeling rather antisocial at the moment.  
  
Sirius turned down the slightly familiar passageway. Now most assuredly alone, he turned his thoughts once again to the subject that had dominated them for what seemed like years: Fay. Again, he couldn't understand what was so fascinating about her. He was enraptured. In the past couple of months, he had come to appreciate her subtle beauty, which had not made itself quite so apparent on the first night he'd seen her. But now, having glanced at her so very often, Sirius saw that she was riveting. Her eyes, that so often and so unusually changed color, emitted an almost fiery spirit like that of a wild mare. Her flyaway hair gave her the look of a cherub, and her delicate hands were like a faerie's. He also found himself constantly marveling at her impeccably smooth skin, which eerily resembled that of a porcelain doll. What was it, he wondered, that gave her these distinct features? He half hoped that the answer would come to him in his dreams- that they would tell him what made her so ethereal. But no dreams came. He hadn't had one that he could remember, in fact, since the dream about the fields of heather some weeks ago. He slowed his pace as he tried to recall the pipe music that had drifted from a distance. He could almost hear them just as though they were playing somewhere not too far off.  
  
Sirius's eyes flashed open, and he stared around warily. There _was_ pipe music playing from somewhere. Somewhere close. Straining his ears, he tried to make sure his imagination was not going haywire. Following the roguish sound, he began to walk faster, until he found himself right across from the tapestry of Barabus the Barmy. Puzzled, he turned to look at where the door to the bedroom had been. But it was not the same door. In place of the large mahogany frame was a creaky wooden door overgrown with vines. The pipe music continued to come from what seemed to be the other side. Utterly perplexed, Sirius reached out to touch the knob, trying to confirm his sanity. It was solid.  
  
"Why not?" He said quietly to himself, and he turned the handle.  
  
As the door opened, the pipe music stopped. He heard a small shriek and scampering as he opened the frame wide. He gasped. Apparently, the inside of the room had changed with the door. It was like stepping outside. The room mimicked uncannily a widespread field of heather, and even smelled like the plant. The walls had been bewitched to imitate the sky, like the Great Hall, so that one could have easily walked right into them. Staring around, it suddenly dawned on Sirius what his dream had portrayed, and what this room was doing such a good job of embodying. It was a moor. He looked around for who had shrieked.  
  
Cowering and standing flat against the wall with her eyes shut tight, was Fay. She held a bundle in her arms and seemed to be concentrating with all her might on not opening her eyes. Sirius carefully closed the door and heard it click behind him as it had done when he had sought refuge in the room. He was afraid of what to say, Fay looked terrified.  
  
"Um....." Sirius began lamely. She winced as though he had struck her, but as they were on opposite sides of the....well, the moor, he knew he had done no such thing. He tried to offer words of comfort. "I... I'm sorry, to um... barge in on you. It's just that... well, I've been here before and... it wasn't the same. I just heard music and wondered why it was coming from in here and... I'm sorry."  
  
Tentatively, she opened one eye. "Sirius?"  
  
Sirius said nothing; he was too baffled at the fact that she knew his name.  
  
"You could see me?" She asked, now lifting both her lids and looking a bit less rigid.  
  
"Um, yeah. Why wouldn't-"  
  
Fay let out a frustrated cry and punched the sky/wall with the back of her fist, still leaning back against it. To his horror, Sirius could see tears leak out of her large pale blue eyes. He had no clue how to handle this, but walked over and slowly arranged himself, rather uncomfortably, on a large bolder placed to the left of where Fay was standing.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked her. She looked over at him as though she had forgotten he was there. She hastily wiped away her tears and sniffed.  
  
"How did you get in here? The door was locked," she said, avoiding Sirius's question.  
  
"Well, no, it wasn't. At least not when I came in." He finished and cast around the room for an excuse to stay and talk with her.  
  
"So... do you have any idea what this room is? I mean it's amazing. The first time I came it was a bedroom, and the next couple of times after that it wasn't here at all. And now it's a..."  
  
"A moor."  
  
"Well...yeah."  
  
"I don't know what it is or how it works, exactly, but whenever I need some... some time alone, I come here, and usually no one finds me. Sometimes I don't even think they can see the door. But you did. And it opened for you. Why?"  
  
"I dunno," said Sirius earnestly. An awkward silence fell between the two of them, and then Sirius remembered: "Well, actually, I heard music."  
  
Fay looked horrified as she ran a hand down her face. "You heard me?"  
  
For the first time Sirius felt a bit less nervous, and he laughed. "Yes. I saw you and I heard you. What were you playing, anyway? Pipes, or something?"  
  
She looked at him for a moment, and, to Sirius's complete surprise, actually came over and sat down next to him on the large rock. She said nothing, but pulled a set of bagpipes from the sack under her arms and began to play them, as easily as though she had done it for years. But she did not play any sort of song that Sirius had ever heard. It was eerie, and made him feel a bit uncomfortable. At the same time, though, he found it quite enchanting. When she had finished, she lowered her pipes and said, "Bagpipes."  
  
"Yeah," said Sirius, with a bit of a nervous laugh. "Where the bloody hell did you learn that kind of music?"  
  
"I... just sort of...it's hard to explain," Fay broke off.  
  
"I've got all the time in the world to listen," said Sirius, putting on a charm that he used rarely, except when he needed something from a girl. It usually got them to talk, anyway.  
  
"Well," she began reluctantly. "When I was about, I dunno, maybe seven, eight- I found some bagpipes, abandoned in a bundle on the side of a road. And I just picked them up and... took them out to the moor and started playing them. It came real easy to me, like. Just as easy as if I'd always known how to do it. And the songs, too. I felt like I'd always known them. And... it sounds stupid... but I think... I think I did." She looked away.  
  
Sirius didn't quite know what she meant, but was thinking about what she'd said, trying to piece it together. Her situation seemed familiar, but at the same time, completely absurd. Some one can't just pick up an instrument and be able to play it. Not a normal person, anyway. He thought it best not to say this, however.  
  
"That's not stupid," he said quietly.  
  
Another silence followed these words, and then:  
  
"Yes it is. But sometimes I just think things like that because I cant ever remember much from...before," she said.  
  
Sirius had no idea what this meant. He voiced his thoughts. "What do you mean?"  
  
Fay sighed. "I mean... well I don't remember much of anything from my childhood. Just fleeting glimpses, you know. And I never felt like I belong to my parents. Sometimes I honestly think I got switched off with somebody else."  
  
Sirius let out another sarcastic, dog-like bark of laughter. "I know exactly what you mean there. I'd swear to Merlin that I'm not my mother's son. Actually, I pray that I wasn't. I can't stand her."  
  
For the first time, Sirius heard Fay laugh. It was a high, contagious, gleeful and full of mirth, causing him to smile and laugh again, only this time out of earnest rather than disdain. Fay wrapped her arms around her knees, and looked so like a child.  
  
"You know," she said, turning to him. Her eyes were now an unmistakable light violet, and she was smiling impishly. "You're not that bad, really."  
  
**A/N-** Okay, hope that was enough to hold you off for a few days. Just remember: **READ AND** **REVIEW!** Thanks! Oh! P.S.- what did you guys think about the movie Sirius? A mon avi, he wasn't right at all, not nearly hot enough, lol! Let me know in your reviews! 


	8. Valentine's Day

**PLEASE STOP AND READ!  
  
**A/N- unless by some miracle I write the next chapter in the next day and a half, I do believe that this is my last stab before I go on up to Boston for five weeks. Now, for the few who actually read author's notes, and who are actually reading this story, I beg of you to forgive me. I know I'll probably loose most of you over that period, which makes me pretty sad. But nevertheless, I will keep writing. You don't have to worry about never seeing this story again, because writing it has become a bit of an obsession. Okay, I'm sorry for boring you all, but please stay on the line! I promise I'll have plenty of stuff when I get back. (As in I'll probably finish The Moorchild and start another story. My brain is already tingling with ideas for the next one.) Anyway, thanks a lot for your support and blah, blah, blah.........  
  
For the reviewers:  
  
**Professor-fidget**- once again, thanks so much for your feedback. I really appreciate it, especially since I'm quite fond of your work as well, and it's always great to hear good things from someone you respect. Hope you enjoy this chapter! P.S.- have you ever seen Tenth Kingdom?  
  
**Star of the Muses**- I'm sorry I scared you, but in a way that makes me happy, cuz that means that you want to read more of my story, right? Well, I hope you pace yourself with this chapter, because the next one wont be coming for another couple of weeks. Have no fear, though, I WILL CONTINUE. Thanks again for your review!  
  
**Benny**- I'm really glad you like Fay! That means a lot to me and is very encouraging. Anyway I know you're not a signed reviewer but if you continue to read this then I'd like to hear more from you! Thank you very much!  
  
**RueNeko**- Yay! You're the first of two new reviewers! This makes me very very happy! Now all you have to do is keep reviewing and we're good to go! J/k, you don't have to keep doing it if you don't want, but it would be nice! I'm also quite pleased about what you put in your review, because I noticed the same thing and I've been trying to counteract that. It's good to know I'm doing OK! Thanks so much and keep reviewing!  
  
**Super dork 10**- first of all, I like your pen name. Second of all, I'm glad you picked up on my story and I want you to keep R&Rinng, and third.... I thought I was so original with the Moorfolk thing and you popped my bubble, lol. Actually, it's cool to know that other people even know what they are. Ever heard the phrase "Great minds think alike?" lol again. Thank you!  
  
-Okay, we did better this time, people. Not quite so lame as the last chapter. But I expect you all to keep reviewing, do you hear me? I'm sorry, did that sound a bit forceful? {hums distractedly}......  
  
**Disclaimer**- I don't own Sirius black. {ouch} okay, I don't own any of the marauders. {ow, shit!} alright, alright, I don't own Harry Potter. {aw, man!} what, I already told you everything! {ooo, that hurt} ok, fine. I don't even like your husband that much, anyway.  
  
**CHAPTER #8  
**  
The rest of Sirius's holiday proved relatively uneventful, but his elation at having had a decent conversation with Fay had gotten him through it smoothly. Whenever Peter got particularly irritating or he began to miss his friends, he simply thought back on when Fay had said, "You know, you're not that bad, really." This never failed to instantly improve his mood. And, to assist him again in that department, Fay had taken on the courtesy to greet him in the halls as they passed, say, "mornin'" in the mornings, and, much to Peter's dismay, to once ask the two of them whether either cared for the roast duck of the feast of Christmas Eve. (Peter had let out a muffled screech and mumbled something about poison and the fact that he was a vegetarian).  
  
When Remus and James returned from their vacations, they both seemed a bit thrown aback by Sirius's good mood. To his immense relief, however, neither of them asked him anything of it.  
  
Things soon returned to the way they always were-with James and Sirius causing trouble and rebelliously neglecting their studies at the height of O.W.L. year, Remus trying, and failing to keep them in line, Peter trotting along after the three of them wherever they went and the welcomed monthly interruptions of the full moon.  
  
And then, there were girls. James's hopeless infatuation with Lily had begun to cause him to make a fool of himself whenever she was in close proximity. Peter had a crush on a sixth year girl that didn't know he existed and Sirius, unbeknownst to his three friends, was still head over heels for Fay. Remus remained unaffiliated, but solely because he said he wanted to be. He was by no means unattractive. He was quite good to look at, in fact, and he hung around with James and Sirius, to boot. But, Sirius noticed when he Remus look around at various couples, holding hands, kissing and cuddling, even he looked as though he may some day need a break from his bachelordom. There was to be a romantic vibe in the air, and it was driving Sirius crazy.  
  
That vibe, which seemed to have snuck up on him from behind, was Valentine's Day. Feeling increasingly uncomfortable as the holiday drew nearer, Sirius watched painfully as future and existing decided to meet up on the next Hogsmeade Weekend, which was set for the fourteenth. On occasion, Sirius even found himself debating whether or not he should ask Fay. One such occasion took place in the Gryffindor Common Room, two days after the Hogsmeade notice had been posted.  
  
James found him staring up at it, lost in thought, as he so often had been this year.  
  
"Padfoot?"  
  
Sirius turned around, looking for the person who had said his nickname. He smiled. "Prongs."  
  
"Pity about this Hogsmeade Weekend, isn't it?" Said James, looking rather upset.  
  
"What do you mean?" Asked Sirius.  
  
"Well, it's on Valentines Day."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"I've just asked Lily to go with me."  
  
And Sirius understood. Lily Evans had once again refused James. Looking at his friend, he wished she could at least give him a courtesy date. Because although James would never admit it, he had been in love with her from day one, and each time she shot him down, it came down hard on both his ego and his heart. Sirius led Jams to their corner and sat him down.  
  
"What did she say?" He asked.  
  
James tried to sound nonchalant. "She got all fussy and said I was the last person on Earth she would even consider dating."  
  
He paused for a moment and looked out the window. Racking his brain for words of comfort, Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but James started up again as he turned to face him.  
  
"But you know what, Padfoot? She's the first person I'd consider. I'd swear to that."  
  
Sirius sighed. "I know mate. But you'll come around, you'll see. I know she will."  
  
"Yeah," said James, though he didn't sound like his believed it. Well, I'm glad I've got you and Remus and peter to go to Hogsmeade with me, at any rate."  
  
Sirius said nothing. Not only did he not have the heart to say, "Oh, bad luck, Prongs, I'm going to ask Fay to go with me," but he also couldn't imagine telling him that he was attracted to a girl that Lily Evans didn't like. So, with James's best interests at heart, he decided to drop the idea altogether. It was a stupid one, anyway. He was mental if he thought Fay Farthing would ever go out with him.  
  
"We'll have plenty of fun, just us four, Prongs." Said Sirius, plastering on a smile. "Who needs girls, eh?"  
  
James laughed and nodded at a group of four or five girls sitting nearby, who had evidently heard Sirius say this and let out a collective sigh of disappointment. Girls.  
  
The few weeks counting down to Hogsmeade soon passed, and Valentines Day finally came. It started out quite smoothly with the four Marauders discussing the details of their Marauder's map over drinks in The Three Broomsticks, and then strolling idly through the village and looking at the various shops along the narrow cobbled streets.  
  
Around one o'clock in the afternoon, when the four friends had just walked out of Zonko's Joke Shop, arms filled with bags of various mischief- making gadgets, they found themselves bearing witness to an argument that was brewing between Lily Evans and Fay Farthing. They were shouting at each other, and immediately, Sirius began to feel apprehensive. Any argument that involved Lily meant bad things for his friendship with James if he sided with anyone else.  
  
"What do you have against me, you don't even know my name!" Fay was shouting.  
  
"I don't care what your name is, you have no right to insult any one of my friends!" Retorted Lily.  
  
Obviously, they had missed something. But what Sirius found the most confusing about this scene was Lily's behavior. She was, and always had been, a peacemaker. Never one to start fights, but to end them. Sirius wondered what it was that had caused her abrupt personality change. Meanwhile, a row was progressing.  
  
"Your little friend was asking for it! She provoked me!" Yelled Fay. Sirius noticed that one of Lily's friends was sulking by a group of flowerpots outside a shop.  
  
"She did no such thing!" Said Lily, defending her friend. "Anyway, the only reason you're angry is because you know she's right! You're a terrible, half-bred devilish changl-"  
  
She was cut off, on account of the fact that Fay had walked up, and punched Lily straight in the jaw.  
  
For a moment, the crowd that had gathered around the scene drew a collective breath. Both girls stood glaring at each other, fuming, Lily holding her punctured face. Out of nowhere, James made to charge at Fay, but Remus held out a hand, saying, "No, James, you'll only make it worse."  
  
James looked livid. But before either of them could do anything else, Lily pounced on Fay, kicking, punching and pulling at every bit of the small girls she could find. The crowd began to jeer. Peter, Remus and James were all looking temporarily dumbfounded and incapable of any movement.  
  
Without thinking, Sirius strode fixedly over to the two girls, who were rolling on the ground, looking quite like a couple of cats. Although Sirius could see that Fay was doing much more damage to Lily than Lily was doing to Fay, he pulled out his wand and directed an impediment curse straight at Lily Evans. She flew back off Fay and hit the ground on her back, sliding a bit. Remus recovered some of his sense and began making a valiant effort at dispersing the large crowd, though without much luck. James shouted, "What are you playing at, Sirius?" and ran to help Lily with the aid of her other friend. Peter, still outside Zonko's, remained frozen in shock.  
  
When Sirius finally wrenched his eyes away from Lily, who had never looked angrier, he turned to see where Fay was. But she was nowhere in site.  
  
He faintly heard Lily say, "Get off me, Potter, I'm fine." before noticing James standing very close to him.  
  
"Did you mean to hit Evans with that impediment curse?" He asked Sirius.  
  
Sirius clenched his jaw. He knew, for that sake of his friendship with James, he should have forgotten about Fay and said, "No, of course not." But he couldn't do it. Instead, he turned, looked James straight in the eye and said, "Yes." Before running off to make an early return to Hogwarts.  
  
He ate dinner alone around six o'clock, deciding to get used to solitary living, as James would not speak to him for at least several days. He sighed, and was about to serve himself second helpings of the shepherd's pie when he heard it. The same eerie music that he'd heard Fay play over break, was dancing from the direction of the changing room. Without hesitation, Sirius got up from the table and began to follow his ears. To his wonderment, no one else around him seemed to hear the strange music.  
  
As he pressed on through the rarely-used corridor, he realized that it wasn't bagpipes Fay was playing this time, but something different. Sirius quickened his pace, and soon found himself standing once again outside the now ivy-covered door. He reached for the handle, which he noted was not metal, but was made of the same knobbly wood as the rest of the frame, and let himself in. The room once again mimicked a heather-smelling moor perfectly. Without, of course, the wild ponies, and, thankfully, the bogs.  
  
Sirius found Fay standing in the middle of the room this time, her back to the door and a small, flute-like instrument placed upon her lips. Before he could speak, she said:  
  
"What do you want, Black?" She sounded defiant, and was sporting several cuts and bruises about her arms and face. Her eyes were a steely gray as she turned and said, "I really need to be alone," in her heavy Cornish accent.  
  
Sirius stared. Did he really have anything to say to Fay? All he knew was that he heard her music, and, knowing it was she who had been playing it, simply followed the sound to its source. He had no real reason to be here, he just wanted to see her again. But he came up with an excuse.  
  
"I...I just wanted to make sure... that you weren't hurt, or anything." He finished. Okay, it was a rather lame excuse.  
  
But, to his surprise, Fay smiled. It was a beautiful smile. Very honest and innocent, but at the same time, clever and wise. She approached him, and Sirius's stomach did a little jolt as he noticed she was very close. Before he knew what was happening, Fay stood up on tip-toe to give him a little kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Utterly bewildered, Sirius backed out of the room, gave a stupid little wave, which he kicked himself for afterward, and turned back up in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, hand still placed on the spot where she had kissed him.  
  
James, predictably, didn't speak to Sirius that night. This worried him, of course, James was his best friend, and he never wanted to loose him. But he only felt a slight twinge of guilt as he lay awake in his four-poster that night, grinning foolishly from ear to ear.  
  
A/N- I hope this holds you until I get back, but until then, don't have too much fun without me! I really love you guys! TTFN......


	9. A Revelation Involving Part Humans

A/N- In the words of the great speaker, Homer, (and I don't mean the blind Greek philosopher): Woo-hoo! I'm back, case you didn't notice, and I hope to Holly that I didn't loose any of you lovely reviewers. Anyway, even if I did, it just means that they weren't worth my time, right? Right. If you're new and you're lost, I've been gone and quite lacking in a computer for the greater part of the summer. For those who give a flying horse's ass (forgive my Spanish. Er, French. I think. Maybe German?), I have finished this story, and I have another, as yet untitled, that's in the works, and I'm quite fond of the idea so far. I also have gone slightly insane and have learned how to play the Mongolian zither in my prolonged absence. No, I have no clue what that is. Ahem. Enjoy chapter nine, will you?  
  
Dear reviewers:  
  
**Star of the Muses** -well, I've updated. Isn't it wonderful how you can still depend upon a few precious things in this world? Lol. Thank you for your review.  
  
**Super dork 10** -the cruel irony that I just acquired you as a new reviewer right before I left is not nearly as twisted as that horribly likely statistic: you may never again come across this story or read my little note to you. However, if you do, I give you my endless thanks, apologies for any inconvenience, and humble request that you continue to read this story and judge it accordingly.  
  
**Benny-** I hope you're true to your word, because I would very much like to hear from you as to how you think this story turned out. I'll keep my fingers crossed, and thanks for your last review.  
  
**Snuffles2984-** having just read your review, I'm blushing, as usual. Thank you kindly. And update Fallen soon, before my hair turns gray and falls out from anticipation. (Apologies for the morbid and unnecessary analogy)  
  
- You may have noticed a newly acquired eloquence, or, if I may go so far as to say, slightly silly way with words. This, I believe, is the result of both a summer away from my parentals, and heavy reading of the brilliant fellow writer, The Duchess of Inkling, before the writing of this passage. I pray I did not alarm you too greatly.-  
  
**Disclaimer-** I don't like disclaimers. (Sticks out tongue and hops away.) (Yes, I said hops.)  
  
**CHAPTER #9  
**  
When Sirius awoke the next morning, refreshed and ready to begin the day, he made his way over to James's bed, intending to convince his best friend to speak to him again. When he got over there, however, Sirius found that the hangings to James's bed were open, his comforter wrinkled and empty. He had obviously gone down to breakfast. Figuring that he would just corner him in the Great Hall, Sirius dressed quickly, and made his way down, too.  
  
When he reached the foot of the marble staircase, he turned in the direction of the Great Hall and groaned. Instead of catching and intercepting James on his way out from breakfast as he had hoped to do, he found himself faced to face with a hoard of people whom he very strongly disliked, each one more so than the next. Standing before him was a very nasty crew of Slytherins. Sirius's scowl deepened as he took in each ill- domineered face. In the front of the pack stood his cousin, Bellatrix Black, her boyfriend, Rodolfus Lestrange, and Sirius's own brother (by blood and nothing else) Regulus Black. In a bunch behind them were some fourth year slime balls: Lucious Malfoy, Narcissa Black (another cousin), Evan Rosier, and Augustus Rookwood. Skulking in the back behind a curtain of greasy black hair was the pallid archenemy of the Marauders: Severus Snape. All of them were looking malicious; like a pack of lionesses ready to move in for the kill.  
  
In an attempt to scape a brawl, Sirius tried making his way around the group, but Bellatrix held out an arm and caught him in the chest.  
  
"What?" said Sirius savagely.  
  
"Not even a courteous 'Good Morning' for your dearest cousins and brother?"  
  
"Yeah, well, forgive me for interrupting your daily romp, but I don't tend to consider people like you and him-" Sirius nodded curtly to Regulus "to be anything close to family at all. Now, are you going to let me by, or are you going to make me do it the hard way, and curse you all out of my path?"  
  
Sirius allowed the effect of his words to settle in. he could almost see the furious battle being wrought inside his cousins head. The need to continue to egg on her most loathed enemy was conflicting painfully with his most inconvenient skill with a wand. Sirius smirked after a few second's pause.  
  
"Look, Bella, if it's going to take you that long to think of a comeback, then you'd better pick up your skill or just get used to being stepped all over, because the moment for comedic timing passed about sixty seconds ago."  
  
He walked off, his back to the lot of sneering Slytherins when he heard Bella speak again, this time in a taunting baby voice:  
  
"You always did take it the hard way, didn't you, Sirius? Couldn't bear being so left out, could we? Got our feelings hurt when we found out mommy and daddy liked big brother more than us, hmm?"  
  
The Hall rang with the laughter of Bella and her stupid gang, and just then, as though those words had been a trigger to some sort of chip in Sirius's brain, he wheeled round, pointed his wand at Bella, and shouted, "Conjuncto!"  
  
When the spell hit his cousin, the cheeky guffaws of the whole Slytherin lot were turned instantly into shrieks of surprise. Bellatrix was howling in pain, clutching her right eye.  
  
At the same moment, as though time itself were against him, Sirius heard a throng f people making their way out of the Great Hall, all crowding excitedly around the second fight that had taken place that weekend. At the head of the crowd, Sirius saw as he turned, was James. He was watching the row while he leaned against a corner in the door. He wasn't hurling insults at Sirius, but he wasn't sticking up for him, either.  
  
Regulus and Redolfus were helping Bellatrix to her feet and trying to wrench the hand away from her eye to examine the damage. Snape stood scowling off to the side of his mates, who were all huddled together and whispering nervously as they shot periodical glances at Sirius.  
  
Bella struggled to regain her balance as she struggled around in agony; left hand still clutched t her heavily wounded eye as she used her free hand to aim for Sirius's chest with her ebony black wand.  
  
"Bombardio!"  
  
The spell hit a suit of armor to Sirius's left, bounced off and shattered a mirror up ahead. In his fury, Sirius found even more antagonizing words escaping him.  
  
"That's seven years bad luck, Bella! Guess that means your dreams of a life with your ugly boyfriend might not work out."  
  
This time, it was Redolfus who raised his wand, but before he could even think of a curse worthy of the efforts against his girlfriend's attacker, a loud bang issued from yet another wand. The whole crowd turned around.  
  
Professor Albus Dumbledore stood at the top of the marble stairs.  
  
All went quiet. The whole Entrance Hall seemed to be holding their breath as they waited for the Headmaster to speak.  
  
"Mr. Lestrange and Mr. Black, kindly take Bellatrix to Madam Pomfrey, and inform her that the young lady has been hit with a conjunctivitis curse," said Professor Dumbldore. He spoke as though he were talking of the matter over tea. There was a slight pause as the crowd parted to let the three Slytherins up the stairs, and Dumbledore descended to the main level of the Hall. There was a hush as he resumed speech.  
  
"I would also like for Ms. Narssica Black, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Rosier, Mr. Rookwood and Mr. Snape to proceed to your head of house immediately. Do note that I shall know it if you decide not to do as I ask."  
  
The fourth years bunched off toward the dungeons. Snape gave Sirius a particularly nasty sneering smirk before turning to follow the others. As the action began to wind down, the crowd too dispersed, leaving Sirius alone with the tall wizard.  
  
"Sirius, come with me, if you please," said the Headmaster shortly, and he began to walk to a place that he had only heard about, as very few students had actually seen its interior: Dumbledore's office.  
  
Sirius was completely bewildered. Why had Dumbledore chosen to chastise him? He was innocent, he had been unfairly provoked......  
  
They came to a halt in front of a huge gargoyle. It sprung to life and leapt aside when the Professor spoke the password, leaving a large gap in the wall that lead to a spiral stone staircase. Stepping in after Dumbledore, Sirius jumped as the stairs began to spiral slowly upward, halting when they became level with a pair of huge doors bearing oversized knockers. Dumbledore knocked, which Sirius first thought strange, as he figured that the only person that would be inside to let them in would be the Headmaster himself. Almost immediately, however, the knobs on the doors twisted, and Fay poked her fairie face out. Looking slightly hesitant, she shot a quizzical look at Sirius before admitting the two of them in the room.  
  
Sirius had just enough time before Dumbledore spoke to marvel open- mouthed at the great wizard's office. The extremely esthetically pleasing circular room, sporting many books and almost infinite numbers of strange, whirring gadgets. Sunlight poured in from the high-framed windows and shed light on the endless portraits of headmasters and mistresses, more than half of whom seemed to be feigning sleep. (A few were snoring too loudly to be entirely plausible.)  
  
Gracefully, Albus Dumbledore swept over to the high-backed chair behind his desk and conjured two fluffy poufs for his guests to sit upon. Sirius sat in one, feeling awkward, and saw Fay doing the same out of the corner of his eye. They sat in silence for a moment, watching Dumbledore situate himself and waiting for him to speak.  
  
"I think that I am correct in thinking that neither of you are quite sure why the other is here. But, I thought that I might speak to both of you in one go, as it is Sunday, and I know you are both keen to run out and cause mischief with your friends." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he smiled at them. "Anyway, to business. As I am sure you are both highly aware, fighting or dueling on the school grounds is a very grave situation, which I as Headmaster am expected to frown most deeply upon. However, I would like to hear your explanations of this weekend's events before I judge you too harshly. Ms. Farthing, if you would be so kind as to account the events of the previous afternoon?" He finished, and looked over his folded hands and half-moon spectacles attentively.  
  
It took a moment for the girl to begin, but when she did, she spoke with a defensive air that gave her a look in the eye not unlike that of a young revolutionist.  
  
"Well, that... girl, Lily Evans, nearly called me..." she paused and glanced hesitantly at Sirius.  
  
"Go on," prompted Dumbledore.  
  
"She nearly called me something highly offensive, Headmaster, sir. It almost made me think she knew...something, and I acted rashly, needless to say." She finished with a look at Dumbledore that seemed to Sirius to be somewhat suspicious and significant, but maybe he had read too much into it.  
  
"You need say no more, Fay. I believe I understand the rest, based on what some of the prefects have told me. Sirius, this is when you jinxed Ms. Evans, if I am not mistaken?"  
  
Sirius still felt increasingly uneasy. "Yes. Um, Headmaster. Sir." He thought he heard Fay let out a faint giggle, which was instantly suppressed.  
  
"And I would also very much appreciate your side of this afternoon's story, if you please. I believe when I entered the scene, I had already missed a few.... highlights."  
  
"Well, there's not much to say, really. All there is to know is that Bellatrix and her friends said a number of... well, personal insults that sort of... set me off, I guess. And I'm sorry," he added, quite pathetically.  
  
Dumbledore smiled yet again. "Your apology is most certainly accepted, Mr. Black. I am convinced that while the two of you may have had very good reason to attack your peers, I cannot allow you to leave my office without understanding that you now comprehend fully the rules against fighting and dueling, nor can I let you both go without punishment, as it would seem highly suspicious on my part if I didn't. I will not be terribly firm, however. How do the two of you feel about a weeks detention with Madam Pince in the library, beginning tomorrow afternoon?"  
  
Sirius and Fay both groaned. The Headmaster laughed.  
  
"Ah, I expected such youthful enthusiasm. Sirius, you are free to enjoy the remainder of the day. Ms. Farthing, I would like one quick word with you before you part."  
  
The expression on Fay's face as Sirius turned to leave the office was not one of surprise. She had remained motionless in her seat, and he thought he saw her give the tiniest of waves before he was behind the closed doors once more.  
  
When Sirius retraced his steps out to the Entrance Hall, his brain was teeming with curious thoughts, mostly involving Fay. His anger, which had been so prevalent earlier that morning, was now subsiding quickly to make way for a newfound curiosity. What was it that Lily had called her that had caused her to attack her so rashly? Whatever it was, Dumbledore seemed to know about it. Sirius could tell that they had shared some kind of secret surrounding the matter when he was back n the office. And what did she have to stay to talk to the old man about? Surely it couldn't be _that_ secret?  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
Sirius had evidently been so deep in thought that he had not been paying close enough attention to where his feet were leading him, causing him to bump headlong into Remus Lupin.  
  
"Alright there, Padfoot?" grinned Remus, rubbing his forehead.  
  
"Yeah, fine." Sirius's head was throbbing, but he forgot the pain at the much needed sight of a friend and ally. He grinned too.  
  
"I heard you got in another fight this morning," said the werewolf cautiously.  
  
Sirius was amiable. "Yeah, but it's done. The only thing I've really got to worry about now is my week's worth of detentions-" Remus winced sympathetically. "-and James. He's still not talking to me."  
  
"Give him time, he'll come around."  
  
"Yeah," said Sirius, a bit distractedly, for he had just remembered that he had a more pressing issue to discuss with his friend. "Listen, Moony, I've just gotten back from Dumbledore's office, and something weird happened.'  
  
He proceeded to tell Lupin about what had happened between Fay and Dumbledore. When he had finished, Lupin confused him very much by letting out a loud, "Ha! I knew it!"  
  
"Knew what?" Asked Sirius, bewildered.  
  
"Come with me," said Remus eagerly, and he lead his perplexed friend all the way to the library.  
  
Sirius moaned disapproval. "Moony, have mercy, will you? I'm about to spend all my free time next week dusting bookshelves for Madam Pince. I don't want to spend any more time in here then I already-"  
  
"Shut up complaining. I know what's up with Fay. Now keep your voice down and follow me."  
  
He lead Sirius to a dingy corner of the library and immediately began tracing his finger along a section that was entitled, "Part-Human Magical Creatures". Finally, he pulled out a small green book. It was dusty, like most of the library, and its title, "Pixie Folklore and Legends" was written in a gold wispy script across its front. As he flipped through the chapters, Lupin said idly, "Fay isn't a full-on wizard. She's not even full- on human. I think-" he looked around and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I think she's a changeling."  
  
"What's that?" asked Sirius.  
  
"It's all in this book. I've had my suspicions about her ever since the start of term, but I think that this book _confirms _those suspicions. There's nothing bad about it, mind you, it isn't her fault. Just like it isn't my fault I got the bite, but she'll still be shunned, like me, if anyone finds out, so we can't tell anyone about it. I know exactly how she feels, and I aim to have a talk with her about it, but still, it's weird, isn't it? I wonder if-"  
  
Sirius cut him off. "What are you on about? What's this you're calling Fay? What does it mean?"  
  
Lupin inhaled. "Sorry, I got carried away. A _changeling_ is usually a part human, part Moorfolk that has been raised in the mound of the little people. When the mound, or the fairie community, finds out that the child does not possess entirely the elfish magical powers, it is cast away. The mound will then trade the half-breed with a human child, replacing the fairie, or whatever you want to call it, with a human child that they can use for rough labor. When the child is half-breed with wizard blood, it can still carry on the wizard bloodline, however, and is often just as efficient as any pureblood with wizarding magic. That explains why she's at Hogwarts, and why she got here so late. Also, they can sometimes keep a few of their impish powers." He consulted the book and read aloud. "'A changeling will often bear a strong resemblance to that of its people, and may even have eyes that change color. The child may also have an uncanny ability to play the music of the moor people, often without any previous instruction. They always shy away from iron.' "  
  
When Remus had finished, a flood of memories drowned Sirius's thoughts, and he recalled how she could never touch any iron silverware in the Great Hall, how hers eyes could at one point be green, and the next gray, and the next even purple. How she played so well that eerie music, both on the bagpipes and on that strange flute. Yes, it all made sense. Fay Farthing was a changeling. 


	10. Carpe Diem

A/N- hello everyone.

**Amber Spirit- **I know I didn't update terribly soon, but thanks for giving my story the time of day.

**Madderthanyou**- Sorry, I updated as soon as I could. Thank you so much for reading this! I love getting new reviews.

**Snuffles2984-** Hey! OMG, I have never read a more flattering review (granted, I haven't had very many, but...). I'm still dazed at the fact hat you take time out of your day to read my crap and review it. It's like Nicole Kidman is complimenting me on my acting. Siriusly(hehe), I get so overexcited when I see your reviews, and I almost fainted when I saw that last one. Thank you thank you thank you thank you. Cant say that enough. Anyway, you were wondering whether I had thought of the changeling idea all by me onesies, and I can't take credit for that. They're a real Irish legend, and they're very interesting, but no book ever sympathizes with the real changeling, only with the mother or the human child. So I decided to mesh my love for Sirius and my love for Irish lore in one story. I hope it doesn't get too stupid, lol. Anyway, sorry for rambling, I'll let you go. Thanks again, and make sure you update Fallen.

-only three reviews. Not so good, eh? I estimated that I would loose some reviewers after I got back, but jeez. Anyway, tell your friends about this, will you?-

**CHAPTER #10**

**Carpe Diem**

"So, do you think she knows?" asked Sirius stupidly. He was still suffering considerable shock from this new revelation. Remus's new diagnosis of Fay explained everything. Everything that had been weird with her, the way she kept to herself, the way she acted around others, and the way she acted around him.

"Well, judging from your descriptions of the way she acted in Dumbledore's office, I'd say it's about 98% sure that she does know. But if there's even a slight chance that she may not have a clue, which there is, then we'll have to tell her," said Remus.

Sirius snapped from a small daydream. His mind was beginning to wander, due to the recent accumulation of thoughts that were fast bogging him down. "Why? Why does it matter if she knows or not? Come to think of it, why does it matter at all? We shouldn't treat her any differently. She hasn't got a disease." Instantly, Sirius regretted the obvious outburst of affection, but if Remus had noticed it, he graciously didn't show it.

"I know she hasn't got a disease, Sirius," he said with the tiniest of smirks. Maybe he had noticed? "But if Fay is a changeling, then she'll need to know, because if she doesn't, then she won't ever be able to get in touch with the human child that the Moorfolk replaced her with."

Sirius was getting more confused by the second. "And why would she want to do that?"

"Well, this nasty little tradition of theirs, switching humans with half-humans just because they're no use to the mound, is awful. I mean, think about it! The entire life that Fay has lead with the people she thought were her parents has been a fake. The child that switched lives with her is stuck in some faerie mound, doing manual labor and probably not having the greatest of times, I can tell you. I doubt if Fay even knows her real parents. This is unjust, Sirius, and we can put it right."

By the end of his short but fiery speech, Sirius didn't know whether he should laugh at his friend's passion or cry at what Remus sounded like he was planning to do. The whole thing was just ridiculous. Even if Fay were part faerie, that was it and there was nothing more to say about it. So what if there was some helpless little girl or boy working for faeries in some random mound or faerie city? The image was laughable, comical, even. And when it appeared in his mind, Sirius felt that he was more likely to smile at the thought of a human being getting ordered around by fairytale creatures than to be concerned for that human's civil rights. And then something occurred to him. Remus was pulling his leg.

"Okay, Moony, you got me," he said, cracking a wolf-like grin.

"What?" Remus looked like Sirius had at the start of their meeting.

"I mean, I get it. Very funny joke. How did you come up with that?" Sirius persisted. He began to laugh, feeling slightly stupid.

Lupin looked suddenly stern. "Come off it Padfoot, I'm not joking, I'm completely _serious._"

Sirius wondered for a moment if maybe Remus's emphasis on the word _serious _was intentional, but thought better of voicing his suspicions. Instead, he stuck on the subject that they were on, choosing to ignore the possible verbal assault.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked tentatively, half afraid of what the answer might be.

"Sirius, I'm almost completely positive. It all fits, right down to her name," responded Remus with confidence.

"What do you mean?"

Remus let out a little chuckle. "Sirius, the name 'Fay' is a direct Gaelic translation of the word faerie."

Sirius and Remus spent the rest of their afternoon discussing and analyzing Fay's situation in low voices in the dark and dusty corner of the library. They did more research on changelings, they disputed about whether Fay in fact was one herself and they argued about the importance of Fay's counterpart in the faerie world. Sirius first argued that the human, if still alive, was probably happy living among the faerie race, and didn't even need rescuing. Anyway, how would they even find the faerie mound to begin with? It could be anywhere. Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England..... And most people weren't even clairvoyant to begin with. The mound could be right under their noses and they wouldn't even see it. Remus, however, was convinced of the valor of this mission. He said that the human child was undoubtedly being mistreated, according to his research, and if they wanted to find the mound, they would just have to bring Fay with them. All they needed was Dumbledore's consent. Sirius was reluctant to buy into all of this so quickly. When they couldn't agree on anything, they settled on writing Fay a note to meet them that night in the mysterious room by the portrait of Barnabus The Barmy to talk about what her opinion on the matter was. It was essentially her problem to solve, after all. Remus had initial misgivings about the vanishing room, but Sirius was confident that if he and Fay wanted to find it, then it would be there. He was already curious about what form it would take when Remus joined him.

They wrote and rewrote the note that they would leave for Fay, not wanting to sound too forward, and wanting at the same time to show her that they wanted to help. They also figured that it would be wiser not to say what they thought she was in the letter, just in case someone else were to pick it up and read it. In the end, they came up with something more or less satisfactory. Remus read it aloud:

"Fay:

We have only recently come to a very interesting conclusion, and this conclusion has something to do with you. Don't be alarmed; we only want to help you. If you would like to know what we're on about, please meet us in the third floor corridor in the secret room across from that tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy. You've been there before. We just fancy a short chat. To avoid to many people, we recommend that you meet us after hours, around 11:00, inside the room. See you then.

Bugger off-

_Sirius Black & Remus Lupin_"

When he had finished, Sirius said, "You don't think she'll find that a bit weird, do you?"

"Oh, I think she probably will. I mean, wouldn't you?"

"Well, yeah. But that makes me think...that makes me think she may not come," said Sirius.

"Well, she may not. But we'll just have to hope that that doesn't happen, eh?" said Remus encouragingly.

And so they agreed. After dinner, the two boys went back up to the common room, in order to find someone to deliver the note to the girl's dormitories. Eventually, they found a member of Sirius's little fan club to pass it on. The girl was small with curly brown hair, (probably a second year, by the looks of her), and was more than happy to do the bidding of her favorite teenage heartthrob. Remus had doubled over with laughter, but Padfoot had been almost mortally embarrassed at the tiny girl's enthusiasm.

That evening, Sirius and Remus sat waiting in the common room, and when it had almost completely cleared, around 10:45, they left, hoping that Fay had received their note.

As soon as they left the safety of the common room behind them, Sirius felt a rebellious thrill of excitement. Remus was less enthusiastic. He rambled on in nervous whispers the whole way to the vanishing room, moaning about how they were sure to get caught, since they didn't have James's blessing to borrow his invisibility cloak, and their "Marauder's Map" wasn't finished yet. But Sirius merely ignored him as they made their way through the dark corridors and down the deserted hallways. When they approached the faded dark form of the tapestry in question, Sirius pulled out his wand and said, "Lumos."

He looked out across the way and breathed a sigh of infinite relief when he saw a door waiting to be opened on the other side. It was not as he had ever seen it before. Its appearance was quite ordinary, just like any other door, but Sirius neither worried nor cared. He knew that no matter what form the portal took, it would open to reveal something contusive to their particular needs. Or so he had come to understand. He beckoned to Remus, who whispered cautiously, "Sirius, I've never seen this door before."

Sirius said nothing, but reached out, turned the copper handle, and found yet another quite astonishing room. On the far wall was a small library, which, from where Sirius stood, appeared to contain various books and novels on faeries and the like. In the front of the room was a large stone fireplace that was blazing warmth and filling the entire room, and in the center was a large hearthrug upon which were placed several comfortable armchairs. It was not unlike the Gryffindor common room. Sirius could hear Lupin gasp behind him as they entered and soon after that he heard a girl with a strong Cornish accent say:

"Finally. You took yer time, did you? What was it, exactly, that you two wanted to talk about? I'm quite curious."

Both Sirius and Lupin jumped. Fay had gotten there before they had.

"Where did you come from?" said Sirius, trying, and failing dismally to hide his shocked and high-pitched voice, and to slow his quickened breathing.

"Sorry," said Fay, turning around in her armchair to face the two boys as they found their own squashy chairs. "But if I do say so myself, I'm mad good at not being noticed." She ended on a bitter note, but maintained the impish grin that Sirius had grown so found of.

"So?" she prompted again. "What is it you were wanting to show me?"

"Well," began Lupin, regaining his cool and making his way to the small library to pick up a book, then to a stuffed chair across from Fay. "Sirius and I... we wondered... well, we wanted to ask you something." He beckoned for Sirius to join the two of them by the fire. Sirius selected a seat of his own, between Fay and Lupin.

"I... well, we, actually, have been doing a bit of research on these." Lupin opened the book in his hands to a chapter that was headed, 'Changelings: The Cursed and Scorned of the Faerie World', and had a picture of a small child being stolen out of its crib by a tiny man in green.

"Do they... mean anything to you?" He asked slowly.

Sirius turned to get a good look at whatever Fay's reaction would be, but the expression on her face was quite hard to read. He couldn't tell whether she was about to scream, cry, throw a fit, or storm out of the room. Of all the possible things he could have imagined her doing, though, he hadn't expected what came next.

"Well, I am one," she said shortly. Sirius and Remus exchanged glances. Then Sirius spoke.

"We reckoned you were," he said, smiling. He then realized that he hadn't breathed properly since he first entered the glowing room.

Remus still looked apprehensive, but ceased doing so when he heard her speak again.

"That was smart of you both to figure that out. I don't want you lot spreadin' it 'round, mind, but the fact that you even bothered to care why I'm so... different is... well, thanks." Fay gave a small smile, and, to Sirius and Remus's equal surprise, she brushed away a tear.

Lupin seemed beside himself with relief. Encouraged by Fay's reaction, he pressed on to what he regarded as the most important issue. "Well then," he began. "You'll know about the young person who you've been switched with, right? We had an idea about that, as well. Would you be willing to-"

It was Sirius who had put a hand over his friend's mouth, cutting him off mid-sentence, for he thought he had heard movement on the other side of the door. "Shh," he warned. "Someone's out there."

They listened for a moment, and, sure enough, someone, or maybe even something, was lurking just past the wall. Slowly, Remus lifted himself up out of his chair, pulled out his wand, and whispered, "Stay here and hide. I'll go and check outside to see if anyone's there. If they are, I can just say I'm on my night prefect's duty, and that I've been told to patrol this hall. I'll come and get you when the cost is clear." He turned to leave.

In Sirius's own opinion, this was not exactly the most intelligent way to go about this, and Lupin was being uncharacteristically bold. But before he could make any objections, Moony was already closing the door behind him, and Fay was already dragging him off behind the bookshelf in the corner. They stood in darkness and in silence for a few moments, listening for sounds from outside and deciphering them from the crackling of the fire, and their own heavy breathing. After about a minute, Fay spoke.

"Why do you care about my well-being?" she whispered.

Sirius looked down at her small frame and her cute face. She was looking out beyond the bookshelf, seeming pensive, face half bathed in the fire's humming light. To Sirius, she had never looked more angelic.

"Why wouldn't I care?" he said quietly.

Right then, Fay turned her head to stare at him beautifully with her pair of deep blue eyes, and right then, Sirius felt an enormous wave of emotion, like an electrical shock, sweep over him. Without thinking, without worrying about what was to come, he seized to moment. He seized the day. He leaned in, touched a stray lock of wispy, curly white-blonde hair, and tucked it behind one of her tiny little ears. He touched her face, smooth as porcelain, and brought it to him. He kissed her. They were one person, one deeply passionate person, moving with one breath. He hungrily and openly tasted Fay's cherub lips, and she let him. But, it seemed, before it had begun, it had stopped. They stood there for a second, breathing heavily, and Fay still holding Sirius's face in her hands. She then planted a feather-light on his neck, and began to withdraw from their book cavern, walking as far as she could before letting go of Sirius's hand. He did not ask her where she was going, because the question was answered before he had even thought to ask it. He heard Remus's voice say, "Sirius, hurry up." And he followed them out of the vanishing room.

He was in such a complete daze that he hardly noted where he was going on the way back to the common room. He only pretended to listen to Lupin as he explained that it had been Peeves who had been outside, and that he'd had quite a job trying to get rid of him silently. When they re-entered their common room once more, Sirius saw Fay give him a very mischievous grin as he walked in his dream-like state up to his dormitory, where he knew that he would find no sleep tonight, but would be doomed to think only about the first girl for whom he had so unlikely fallen head over heels.


	11. Climax and Confusion

A/N- okay, so... where to start? I kind think I should stop writing these silly and tedious authors notes, since I'm basically talking to a non-existent audience, unless, of course, you want to count the freaking TWO PEOPLE who reviewed the last chapter. Do I sound a tad bitter? GOOD! Feel my wrath! Or better yet, read my story.

Snuffles2984- golly, aren't you sweet, lol. I'm glad you thought that kiss worked, I was looking forward to writing it, he he...

Insane-elf-girl13- well, first of all, I can tell that you were totally bluffing with the bow and arrow thing, because you neglected to attack me even though it took me three weeks to update, lol. But thank you so much for your review. Keep reading!

And that concludes our escapade. Please God; PLEASE get someone to read this stupid story! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahem...-

Disclaimer- Once upon a time there was a girl who really, really, really didn't like disclaimers because she thought they were stupid. And they were. And so she stopped writing them. Haha.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Climax and Confusion

(A/N I'm terrible with chapter titles, you'll have to excuse me.)

Sirius had been right when he had predicted that he would have to get through a sleepless night that night, but what he hadn't estimated was that he was in for a few weeks worth of them. Because Fay made him feel like that. The energy that filled him when he was even just standing near her was enough to keep him awake for a month. He couldn't get enough of the high that he felt around her.

Very soon after their first real kiss, Sirius had found himself in a quagmire that was pulling him deeper and deeper until he felt he might not be able to breathe. His affection for the strange little girl had caused him to live in a dazed type of euphoria that seemed to be telling him to give her anything and everything.

Completely disregarding his lessons, James, Peter, and Remus, Sirius began tripping over himself to do wonderful and creative things to keep her happy. He knew he shouldn't bother her, or make his uncharacteristic spate of caring too obvious, but sometimes he couldn't help wanting to surprise her. One such instance came on a Saturday evening, when Sirius had waited and restrained himself from being with Fay for the greater part of the day, and it was killing him. After having wasted his day lounging in the common room, he finally decided to go looking for her.

He strolled casually down to the grounds and began walking, and it didn't take Sirius long to find out where she was. He found her, back up against a large tree that he himself had rested against with his friends (his heart pained nowadays when he thought of James) countless times. She was reading. Before approaching Fay and drawing her attention, Sirius whispered a quick spell to his wand.

"Orchideous," he said, and crouched down next to Fay, holding out a bouquet of heather and baby's breath. "Hello," he added.

She wordlessly took the flowers from his and smelled them, them gave him a lop-sided smile. "Hello," she returned.

"How've you been today?"

"Not too terrible, how 'bout yourself?"

They talked. They talked until the evening turned to sunset and sunset turned to dusk before deciding it was best to return up to the castle. It was not unusual for the two youths to loose time when they spoke. They just seemed to fit, though. They had endless things they shared in common, and whenever they did disagree, neither of them minded a healthy debate. Sirius had a tendency to forget everything about the life he had before Fay was in it. He thought less and less about James' grudge, and he even began to drift from Remus, the only person who had remained his friend through it all. Nothing seemed to matter when he was with her. And when he was with her (which was often), it was like he had stumbled into a time warp, where everything disappeared but them and the hours didn't matter. He hadn't told her any of this, of course, but somehow, Sirius felt there was no need. There was an unspoken but loud silence between the two of them and that was enough for them both.

When they parted separate ways, Fay gave Sirius a lingering kiss on the cheek before saying:

"I care a lot about you, Sirius."

He was caught a bit off guard. She spoke as if she were going away somewhere.

"Same to you," said Sirius awkwardly, playing with a curl on her flyaway hair.

"Goodbye," said Fay, somewhat sadly.

"'Bye," he said, waving and pasting a silly grin on his face. "I'll see you later."

She gave him one last look before running off into the darkness.

He had not given one thought to the human in Fay's place at all.

On this particular night, when Sirius was on his way back up to his common room, he ran into Remus, who was skulking in one of the corridors.

"Moony?" said Sirius to Remus's back.

Lupin turned. "I'd hoped I'd catch you on your way back up," he said in a melancholy tone.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"You should know why," returned Remus bitterly.

Sirius had an idea... "What d'you..."

"Two things," Remus interrupted. "One, you've been ignoring me every time I've tried to talk to you these past few weeks because you've been too busy fawning over Fay. Two, I'm glad that you two are having fun, but in the midst of your bliss period, you've neglected everything: Me, Peter, James, your work, and that little thing we tried to talk about last week, you know, about Fay being a changeling? Bully for you and your new infatuation, but you need to remember some more important things."

Sirius was infuriated. How dare he try and tell him how to live? How did it come to be his business whether he was getting good grades or talking to James? Whether he was involved with a beautiful girl or worried in the slightest that there was a miniscule chance of them being able to pull an elaborate rescue for some random girl in some random and unseen location?

"You can't tell me how to live or what is important!" shouted Sirius.

"No, technically I can't do that. But I can tell either Dumbledore or Fay that we have to fix this. We have to save this little kid from an entire life of servitude... So either you tell one of them yourself or I'll do it for you. It'll turn out better that way in the long run, Sirius," Remus was firm. He studied his friend for a split second, but didn't have long to do it, because Sirius ran off to the common room. He wanted to talk to Fay, face to face, and figure this whole thing out. Surly she would be the one to tell him that Remus was being completely foolhardy and ridiculous.

When Sirius arrived panting in the Gryffindor common room, however, Fay was nowhere in sight. Supposing that she must have already gone up to bed, he realized that he was tired, too. He went up to his empty bed to find James and Peter snoring, and when his head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep. Apparently he was more tired than he had thought.

The rest of the weekend, Sirius could not find Fay anywhere. Initially, he had supposed that she had found a new place to reflect and play her music, since she was no longer using the vanishing room. When Monday rolled around and he still hadn't seen her, however, Sirius began to feel worried. He waited until lunch to talk to Rebus.

"She hasn't been in any classes today," he explained to his pensive friend. He had been too worried to carry a grudge about last night. Right now he had to find out what was wrong with Fay.

"Yes, I've noticed that too," said Remus, stroking his chin characteristically. "You know," he resumed after a pause, "This might be as good a time as any to talk to Dumbledore,"

Sirius wordlessly and swiftly left the table and followed his feet to the place where he had been not two months ago. As he strode in the direction of his destination, he found that he wasn't really even paying attention to what was going on around him, because he had not gone too far when he bumped strait into Lily Evans.

"Oh!" she cried softly, rubbing her shoulder gingerly.

Sirius was apprehensive. He wasn't liking Lily too much these days. He braced himself for the torrent of temper that was likely to ensue.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"That's alright." She said in a frighteningly friendly voice. "You didn't get me too bad." There was a small pause, and then: "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm okay, you just grazed me a bit." Said Sirius.

Lily laughed awkwardly. 'No, I meant, how are you doing?"

Sirius was caught so off-guard by this strangely considerate question that he forget what a hurry he was in. "Uh... I'm good, I suppose. I'm looking for someone right now, though, and-"

"Will you tell Fay I said hello when you see her?"

He couldn't believe his ears. "Will I tell Fay what, sorry?" he sputtered.

"Oh, well, maybe she hasn't told you, but we're getting along quite well now. She's been tutoring me in ancient runes. I'm very fond of her, actually," said Lily nonchalantly.

Sirius closed his gaping mouth. "Are you? Well then, I'll tell her... I'll tell her you said hello."

"Thanks very much!" She gave him a sweet smile and resumed her path to the Great Hall. Shaking off the twilight zone encounter, he continued off in the direction he was bound for, ready to tell Dumbledore exactly who was missing and why.

A/N #2- I know what you're thinking: "I waited three weeks for that shit? What a jip!" I'm really sorry that this is such a weak chapter. But if you care to hear my excuse, then I'll say that I started school on August 9th, and I'm taking way too many AP's this year, so I have virtually no free time. Then, whenever I did get the chance to sit down and write, I got a serious case of writers block. Forgive me! Now that it's Labor Day weekend, I'll be able to breathe and make a few updates. (Hopefully better ones.) Thank you so much for your tolerance and patience! Bare with me kids!


	12. Parting Ways

CHAPTER #12

Parting Ways

Sirius skidded to a halt directly in front of the ominous pair of gargoyles that haunted the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Before he could even think of troubling himself again with a password that he had no chance of guessing, Sirius found himself standing nose to nose with the Headmaster, who had just opened the door and was leading a small girl out before him.

"Fay!" breathed Sirius without thinking.

She responded with an entirely forlorn look, and kept her silence.

Dumbledore looked between the two of them, and seemed to decide something.

"I think it would do well for you to come in here, Sirius, and for you to remain where you are, Fay. Your friend needs to understand something." Spoke the professor gravely.

He proceeded to lead both Sirius and Fay back up to the confines of his office, where he offered them both great puffy chairs, just like the last time when they had both been there. When neither youth spoke, Dumbledore folded his long fingers, and addressed them both.

"I had hoped that it would not come to this."

Sirius and Fay exchanged looks, for this was a somber beginning of a conversation.

If the headmaster noticed their gesture, he paid it no heed, however. On the contrary, he resumed speech with a twinkle in his eye.

"That is to say, I had somewhat hoped that it would be easier to transport Fay this year without anyone taking too much notice. But it appears she has made a friend." He paused and smiled warmly down at the two of them. "This complicates things a bit."

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius uneasily. "Fay isn't going anywhere. Are you, Fay?"

He turned to her, sure that she would be just as confused, just as nonplussed as he himself was. But she did not look that way at all. She looked frightened and mournful, and didn't quite meet his inquiring gaze. After a moment, she said croakily:

"I have to leave, Sirius."

"No, you don't! Where've you got to go?"

"If I may be so rude as to interrupt? I think I can explain to Sirius why it is you must leave." Dumbledore glanced at Fay for her approval. She consented. "You see, Sirius, Fay told me what you and young Remus had attempted to tell her a few fortnights ago, and informed me that the two of you knew that she was a changeling, and that you were both more than willing to help her to rescue her counterpart in the moorfolk realm. What you were not aware of, I'm afraid, is that Fay has known about her misfortune since she was very young. It took a very long time for me to be able to accept her here at Hogwarts, and almost as soon as she arrived, we found the location of the human girl now residing in her place in the faerie mound. Very regretfully, I learned that it would be in both her best interests as well as the young girl's, for Fay to leave school."

Sirius felt his jaw drop. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He wanted to close his eyes and forget all about Fay. Forget that he had ever met her. He wanted to forget the smell of her flyaway hair, her tiny little hands, the many different colours of her eyes, and the feeling of her skin. He wanted to wash out her voice, her manner, her very presence. He wanted to erase her memory. Because how could he live if Fay ever left?

_I have to forget her. _He told himself. _I have to forget everything about her._ Because he knew that the worst part about a nightmare was being able to remember it, and the worst part about a good dream was waking up and knowing it had never been real.

Sirius blinked and cleared his throat. He couldn't say anything, couldn't think. He couldn't concentrate. His brain was doing everything in its power to block Fay's being out, to cease to remember her, while his heart ripped in two. He thought he might die from the agony of it, and thought he very well could have, had Dumbledore not said something just then.

"I know it is hard, Sirius. But it has to be done. Fay must leave. I am sorry that I cannot offer either of you a more comforting word than that. But know this: young love, which I know is something that you both share, is boundless, and can survive anything. Repression and hardship only help it to grow stronger. Destiny, or Serendipity, as it is more appropriately called in this case, is a funny thing. The two of you will meet again somewhere, have no fear. You're both free to go."

Fay stared determinedly into Sirius's face, willing him to look at her, but he refused and swept past her coldly leading the way to the large door at the bottom of the winding staircase.

When they had left the comfort and quiet of Dumledore's office, Fay struggled to keep up with Sirius, who was making every effort to stay a good distance from her. From then on, he was resolved that he would not speak to Fay. She was no one, and he had never cared for her. Nor she for him, apparently. Otherwise she would never think of leaving. What was the point of a long, sticky goodbye, if he would never see her again anyway? Might as well end the heartache, and forget it all right now. Perhaps the pain would numb soon...

"Sirius! Sirius, will y'turn 'round and talk to me?"

No response.

"Sirius! Sirius Black!"

He was adamant.

"Sirius, please..."

Just keep walking. _Numb the pain, numb the pain._

They had reached the grounds and found themselves surrounded by the contrary sunshine. Fay was still in Sirius's wake.

"Sirius, please wait! I want to talk to you! I wanted to tell you..." she hesitated for an evanescent moment, and then: "I love you."

He halted, and hated his heart for skipping a beat. For soaring painfully.

"Just... just before I left. I just wanted to tell you. Goodbye. I love you."

Sirius did not turn around.

He stood in the sickeningly cheerful sun for a few fateful moments, deciding much too late that he loved Fay, too. Dearly. Fifteen years old or not, as Dumbledore had said, love was boundless. A chilly breeze drifted past him and somewhere in the distance, a mocking bird sang.

It was mocking him. It knew his misery and it taunted him. He hated that bird. He hated it, and the tree were it resided, and the endless, horribly beautiful blue winter sky that engulfed him. In utter loss and despair, Sirius turned his tragic, brooding frame back to the Gryffindor common room, vaguely cognizant that the people there who were up there now would no doubt less than lighten his despondent state.

Sirius then wished that he had a James back. James would have talked with him, understood. If they were still friends. Sirius had no one left in the world, and his depression only darkened as he approached the portrait hole.

"Tai Chi," he said in a listless, indifferent tone, and the picture swung forward to admit him.

The common room was empty, save for a small cluster of people sitting in his favourite place by the eastern window. Not even fully aware of where his feet were taking him, Sirius stalked over to that same cluster, planning to ignore the people that already occupied it. He had his rights, anyway. He wanted to sit there, and he was going to.

Plopping himself down in the largest chair opposite the window and continuing to bask in his despair, Sirius didn't even notice that the group of people (whose faces were all out of focus, Sirius's present state was so surreal) was not merely a group of people. It was his fellow (though now at the present, somewhat divided) Marauders. He tired to speak, but after the first effort failed, Remus said:

"Hello Padfoot."

Sirius turned. His rejoinder was a grunt.

"Are you alright?"

"Not really."

There ensued an awkward pause in which Remus and James exchanged worried expressions, Peter looked confused, and Sirius feigned disinterest in the whole affair. Truthfully, though, he only wished that this accidental stumble upon his old friends might give him someone to talk to. _Someone to help numb the pain..._

This time, however, it was James who broke the silence.

"Sirius, look, I know I've been a bit of an ass lately, and... I'm sorry. Lily told me about how she and Fay are friends now, anyway."

Sirius felt a small pang of relief at this statement, but a combination of the mention of Fay's name, along with his own mounting self-pity, was enough for him to disguise his brief euphoria.

"Good of you to come around," he said bitterly, still not looking at any of them.

Sirius could feel the tension that filled the air he shared with his three former friends, and then had an epiphany. If it was Fay who kept Sirius going when he no longer had James, perhaps it would be James who could keep him going when he no longer had Fay. He was being a prat!

"But still, never mind, eh? Let's just let bygones be bygones, and all that." He forced a smile.

James cracked a toothy grin. "Thanks mate," he said earnestly. "Anyway, it's been rather difficult without you around. I've been having to spend most of my time with pudgy, here." He gestured to Peter.

"Hey!"

All four of them, Moony, Wormtail (yes, even so), Padfoot and Prongs, shared a short and blissful laugh. They were friends again. And Sirius was glad of it. Ignoring the empty hole in his soul that nagged him at any sign of happiness, he tried to keep his mind off of Fay.

"We've been up to quite a lot during your, er, duration of distraction, shall we say, and even though Moony's had to go through his transformations without us," Sirius winced with gilt, but Remus only smiled good naturedly. "We've gotten quite a bit of work done on our map."

"It's finished, actually," said Peter.

"I was just about to show him that, dolt. You always ruin things. Anyway, I believe you still have the key, Remus? Peter has the box, so if you two will do the honors..."

Sure enough, after a bit of searching his robes, Remus located the key and inserted it into the small mahogany box that Peter held between his thick fingers, and all four of them heard the satiating click as it opened.

Gingerly, James, extracted the long piece of parchment from its resting place, set it on the table, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" before tapping it lightly with his wand.

A heading appeared on the map, introducing Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, who were proud to present _The Marauder's Map._ Below the heading, an absolutely flawless and intricate layout of the entire castle and its grounds and inhabitants swirled before him. It was truly amazing. As his hungrily mischievous gray eyes roved the remarkable map, the halted very suddenly at a small dot labeled _Fay_ that was apparently standing right behind him. Puzzled, he turned around.

There she was, more wrenchingly beautiful then he had ever seen her, a sorrowful expression emanating from her now dark brown eyes.

"Hello," she said softly.

"Hello," he responded, dumbstruck and lost for words.

"Will you come to our room with me? One last time?"

The brown eyes were irresistible. "Okay," Sirius said after a time.

His friends gave him puzzled (though no longer angry) looks as he got up and followed her out of the room and down to their secret room.

The familiar vines and plants crept over the door, and it was Fay who let go of his hand, and turned the wooden knob. The air in the room, which had again resumed its moor guise, was now cloaked in dusk and silence. Sirius sighed and turned to face Fay.

"Do you really have to go?"

Fay broke down. She buried her face in Sirius's chest and he could feel it moisten as she cried softly. "Yes," she said. "But I don't want to. I'll miss you so much, Sirius. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. I don't want to go." She sobbed.

He rested his chin on her head and stroked her back as she cried. He didn't say anything, because he knew if he did then awful lump in his throat would cause him to cry, as well. He couldn't remember the last time he had ever cried.

After a while, Fay lifted her gorgeous head and sniffed. He wiped away her tears and stroked her the subtle frame of her face.

"I love you, too."

It is impossible to convey how difficult it was for the two young lovers to part. They held on to each other for almost the whole night, trying desperately to counter the cruel fate that had brought them together, then pulled them apart.

A/N- a bit tragic, I know, but keep more hopes up, there's more to come. I liked writing it and I hope you liked reading it! Thanks to insane elf girl and Snuffles for your support. Love you guys!

-St mary:)

P.S.- there may be some weird format stuff, because this program is pretty restrictive, and I wanted to do some cool things with this chapter, but just ignore that jazz and stick to the content, lol. ;)


	13. author's note

A/N- Hi guys, I know you're gonna be really annoyed that this is just an author's note, but I've been getting sidetracked lately and I wanted you to know that I've started a new penname and story on this site. The story is called _WINDFALL: MY CONFESSIONS_ and its under the penname _GODSWAKE_. I try and get back to _the Moorchild_ as soon as I can. Thanks for your patience.

-Eryn


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